


Recovery

by buffalo1221



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-01 22:50:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 68,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5223980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffalo1221/pseuds/buffalo1221
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ali hopes a move and change of scenery will help uncomplicate her life. Turns out things only get much more complicated. Will she be able to sort through the mess on her own and come out unscathed, or is it okay to lean on someone during recovery?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new idea! Just a warning that this one gets a bit intense and deals with some heavier topics. It'll be longer, but I'm not anticipating it being as log as Not All Who Wander. Hope you enjoy!

“Shit. Shit. Shit,” Ali grumbled as she shot a look at the clock before tearing out of the house with her purse slung over her shoulder. It was already a few minutes past three and the last thing she wanted was to be late. She could already picture the judgmental stares and comments she would be subject to if she failed to arrive on time yet again. Setting a good example was number one on her list, but cleaning the house and finishing folding laundry had caused the morning to quickly fade into the afternoon.

Without a single care as to her appearance she jumped into the shiny, black BMW X5 that was parked in her driveway and threw the car into reverse. She backed up into the street, ignoring her garbage can that she knocked over and a blaring horn from a driver who thought she cut the turn a bit too close for their liking and then peeled out, her tires leaving a black rubber mark on the newly paved street of their subdivision. 

As she drove, she took in the surroundings. Everything was so new, her backdrop so different after the move and she could barely take it all in on the short ten minute ride. Perfectly manicured palm trees lined the streets, a stark difference to the Oak, Maple and Cherry trees that would line the roads back in Maryland and the ragged, overgrown tropical shrubbery that spilled out onto the street by her first Florida home. While she had been in Orlando for a little over a year now, the stark difference between the places she resided in still hadn’t quite sunk in yet. Orlando Perk, her favorite coffee and pastry shop zoomed by on the right and as much as she wished there was time to stop and grab some caffeine, something much needed after the early morning wakeup call she had received that morning, she was already running later than she cared to admit.

Soon, the small shops and cute bungalows became more spaced out, being replaced by larger, upscale homes. These were sprawling three story excessive mansions that looked like they hailed from the Spanish colonial era, and many of them in fact had been inspired by such, that Ali always scoffed at. While she had always been well off, the need for such lavishness was lost on her. Why anyone needed seven more bedrooms than they would ever use, or four different wings of a house, or a completely separate maid’s quarter located just inside the large wrought iron gate would never be understood by the brunette. She shook her head and let out a soft sigh, as she made the final turn.

Beeman Park Preparatory School rose out of the ground before her. It was three stories, had six different wings and a separate building situated just inside the iron gate where the maintenance man lived with his wife and young daughter. The expansive lawn was a freshly cut crab grass that seemed almost too green to be real, and hundred year old palm trees lined the driveway that lead to a parking lot split into two; one for teachers, professors they actually called them as if seven year olds needed to be taught basic sentence structure and math by prestigious professors, and the other for visitors and parents. Ali almost couldn’t contain her laugh that the houses she had just scoffed at on her ride there, so closely mirrored the expensive prep school she had sent her son to. As she pulled through the wrought iron gate, she turned her music down, deciding that blasting Biggie Smalls around the hordes of small children would likely be frowned upon. Besides, she was already five minutes late and didn’t exactly need to catch anymore looks from the judgmental stay at home moms who had the routine down to a tee already.

She carefully parked the car, thankful that at least her BMW fit in with the Audis, Mercedes and Jaguars littering the parking lot, and quickly hopped out of the car. After pushing her Gucci sunglasses down over her eyes, hoping she would at least be able to avoid some gazes, she hurried over to where the other parents were gathered. Immediately, she felt underdressed as she sidled up to the group, noting right away the three women who were clearly trophy wives -from their stepford wife faces and perfectly manicured nails, to their flawless boob jobs and Prada heels- that dropped their gaze to her Nike frees and quickly raked their eyes up the rest of her Nike garment covered body. She could hear the whispers and the curt little laughs they shared between each other, but simply rolled her eyes under the cover of her sunglasses and scoured the playground for her son.

It didn’t take long to find him, sitting alone with his head dropped down on a black wooden bench along the wall of the school that faced the playground. Her heart sunk for him. This school was supposed to be a new start, a way for him to escape the nightmare haunting him at his old public school on the other side of town. She was, of course, to blame for the incident as absurd as it all was, but the sight of her son sitting dejectedly on his own as the sound of shrieking children enjoying fun times and laughs with their friends filled the air was enough to make her heart catch in her throat. She had made this change for a reason, hoping it would give him a better chance to succeed. Not that she could put a price on her son’s happiness, but this school certainly wasn’t cheap and even with an abundance of income after the recent World Cup win, she had thought that he might have at least made one friend his first week there.

He finally looked up, his light blue eyes catching hers from across the yard and offered a weak, partially annoyed wave that she returned with an enthusiastic one of her own. Grabbing his black Nike backpack that Ali remembered him debating about for almost an hour in the store, going between Adidas and Nike, he slung it over his shoulder. In the sporting goods store, he had been so torn between the two. He clearly loved the Nike one, but his rebellious streak was kicking in and a smirk crossed his face when Ali had unwisely teased him and said he couldn’t being an Adidas backpack into her Nike sponsored household. Eventually, the sleek design had won out, as well as the laptop pocket that he thought would be a perfect place to put the iPad he was going to convince his mother to buy him, and he grumbled as he crammed the Adidas one back on the rack and led his mother to the checkout counter. 

“Hey, Tyler,” she said sweetly, holding out her arms to pull her son into a hug. She pulled back and looked him over, smiling at how handsome he looked in his khaki shorts and tucked in navy blue polo. His dark brown hair was still parted and slicked to the side and she was caught off guard by how quickly he was growing up. “How was your day?” she asked and pushed her glasses on top of her head, squatting down to meet his tired looking eyes as she rubbed his back gently.

“Fine,” he said, shrugging off the hand on her back. “Can we just get out of here?” he asked, his tone laced with a bit of bite that Ali chose to ignore. She knew the transition must be hard on him as well and was likely to cause some stress.

She smiled, pushing down the slight hurt that he had so quickly pulled away from her embrace and nodded. “Of course, baby. Your soccer bag is in the car. What would you like to eat?”

“I don’t want to go to soccer,” the boy groaned as he walked past Ali towards the car and yanked open the back door. He threw his backpack in and huffily pulled himself up without her help.

Ali sighed, hoping that for at least one day her son would choose to not be difficult. She understood that he was going through a lot and times were stressful, but just wanted her sweet little boy back. “Tyler it’s your first practice,” she said as she slipped into the car and turned around to make sure her son had buckled himself in correctly.

“Yeah, well I don’t feel good,” he whined, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared back at his mother.

His eyes were a bit glazed over and his light freckles were a bit more pronounced against his slightly pale skin. Ali leaned back at placed her palm on his forehead, thankful that he didn’t immediately pull back. “Well you don’t feel warm. Did you eat lunch?” she asked, her motherly concern growing. She knew her son was always tired and not in the mood to do much lately, something she attributed to his depression which he had been seeing a child psychologist for after everything that had happened.

“Yes, I ate. Can you stop cutting the crust off my sandwiches though?” he replied tersely.

Ali recoiled a bit in confusion, her hands wrapping tighter around the leather wrapped steering wheel. “But you hate the crust, baby,” she said, turning back around to start the car. She was already running late and didn’t want to continue the pattern.

“Yeah, well the kids make fun of me when you do that,” he responded, the hurt of not being accepted evident in his voice. He was tired of eating lunch alone and it didn’t help that he was constantly teased about his “famous mommy” babying him and cutting his sandwiches up.

“Alright, Ty,” she replied while carefully backing out, checking behind her to make sure there were no kids running about. “I’ll stop cutting it off. I’ll tell your coach you’re not feeling well today too, but it’s your first practice and that’s when everyone gets to know each other so you really should go.”

“I have a headache though, mommy,” he said in a whiney voice, trying to milk it and get out of practice.

The eye roll on Ali’s end was apparent but she just shook her head. “You’re going Tyler,” she said, not falling victim to her son’s tactics. “You need to make some friends here, buddy. Besides I heard this new coach of yours is pretty cute,” she joked with a teasing smile, trying to lighten the mood. She had heard some of the moms talking about the sexy new soccer coach and was simply trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

“Are you going to fuck them too and ruin my life some more?”

Her son’s words laced with anger pulled her from her thoughts. Ali slammed on the breaks at the Stop sign and whipped around with wide eyes, pushing her sunglasses up so she could meet his gaze with a fiery one of her own. “TYLER JAMES!” she yelled sternly, glaring at him as she fought the flush that was creeping up her neck to her cheeks. “We do NOT use that word!”

“Whatever,” he grumbled and dismissed his mother with an eye roll as he turned and stared out the window in an attempt to end the conversation.

Ali’s heart was racing at his accusation and hurtful words, the events from the past few months swirling into her brain. It had been a difficult time for both of them, obviously more so her son, and as much as she wanted to discipline him more for the cursing, she could barely keep the tears threatening to spill from her eyes and was forced to focus on the road to keep him from seeing her cry. Though she might have been crushed by the events all the same, she wasn’t allowed to be hurt in front of him. Not after the hurt and chaos her decisions had caused him, her precious baby boy. She had thought this new house, new school, and new setting would help them get past it all, that it would be a fresh start. But as the tears rolled down her cheeks while her son sat ignoring her in the back seat bubbling with his own anger, she knew the hurt ran much deeper for both of them. As she pulled into the luscious park and up to the soccer field, she quickly realized that this move was as much for her recovery as it was his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you guys liked the first chapter! As I warned this one gets a bit intense and is pretty quick moving. That being said...I hope you enjoy!

Ali was pulled from her thoughts by the slamming of a door. She whipped her head around to see the back seat of the car empty and her son lazily sauntering over to the group of kids gathering on the soccer field, dragging his soccer bag on the ground behind him. Tyler was easily the smallest in the group, but she knew what he lacked for in size, he normally made up for in tenacity. Back when they lived in D.C. he had dribbled in circles around his opponents. It didn’t hurt that his mom was a World Cup Champion and professional soccer player and he would often spend his free time at her practices and games, always with a soccer ball at his feet and her teammates chasing him around. The last few months, though, he had seemed so disinterested in everything, caring only about lazily lying on the couch and watching TV or playing video games. She only hoped getting him back out on the soccer field, the place where he always appeared happiest, would help pull him back out of the shell he had enclosed himself in.

After sitting in the car a few minutes, she finally got her tears and emotions in check and figured a bit of fresh air couldn’t do any harm. She slipped out of the car and headed towards the field. The boys were circled up stretching, but even from afar Ali could tell that the others moms hadn’t been lying, the coach was definitely hot. Tall, blonde and macular which was certainly her type.

On the side of the field closest to the parking lot there was a four tiered, metal bleacher and Ali pulled herself up onto the back, not wanting to have to pass the other parents sitting on the first few rows. She could already recognize some of them from the school parking lot and had already heard enough of the ‘you think for someone so rich and famous she could at least dress like she didn’t just wake up from a nap’ comments for one day. After settling in, only muttering ‘shit’ once under her breath since the bleachers were so hot on her bare thighs, she pulled her phone out of her pocket to go through her emails and texts.

A smile washed across her face when she clicked on a text from her brother, detailing yet another adorable thing Luna had done and how much he missed her. She wished more than anything that her brother didn’t live in Los Angeles or that they would be able to visit more often, but knew it was best for him. He found a good crowd of people to hang with, had been sober for years and more than that was becoming wildly successful as a hairdresser for the stars. Her eyes were trained on her phone, typing out a witty reply to her brother when she heard someone muttering curse words behind her.

She turned and tilted her head, her eyes narrowing a bit as she watched a small-framed woman trying to hike herself up over the back of the bleachers. The woman certainly wasn’t dressed for it and to be honest, she looked like she belonged with the women dressed in Prada in the front rows, not trying to sneak in the back way and hide out from judgmental looks that she wasn’t likely to get anyways.

“Shit. A little help here,” she mumbled in a voice slightly more childlike than Ali expected, stretching out her hand.

The brunette turned and grasped the woman’s hand, also latching her other hand around her elbow as she helped guide the woman onto the top row of the bleachers. Her face was covered with a smattering of freckles, wisps of her light brown hair sticking out in every which direction. Just the woman’s carefree grin forced a loose smile onto Ali’s face.

“Jesus, you made that look easier than it really was,” the woman said and jutted her thumb behind her, letting out a few deep exhales as she straightened out her blazer and tried to catch her breath. “I’m Kelley by the way,” she added quickly, sticking out her hand to shake that Ali had just grabbed moments prior to hike her up onto the bleachers.

“Ali,” replied the brunette with a polite smile. “Why exactly did you decide to sneak up the back, Kelley?” she asked quizzically, realizing upon closer inspection that the woman definitely belonged in the front rows with the other stepford wives who were actively gossiping about everyone in town and whining about their husbands who never seemed to have enough time for them.

“For the same reason you did,” she said with a knowing smirk. “No one can stand those snooty bitches,” she whispered and discreetly nodded towards the smattering of bombshell blondes and brunettes a few rows down.

Ali’s brows furrowed as she studied the woman next to her. Ali was in no way poor when compared to the national average; her World Cup win, various sponsorships and long, steady stint with the US National Team putting her net worth easily in the millions, but one look at the sparkling white-gold Cartier watch on Kelley’s wrist quickly informed her that they were still in completely different social classes. That never mattered to Ali, who was close with several players on the Spirit before she had been traded to Orlando, that barely made 30 thousand a year, but she knew in a place like this it could make the difference between someone talking to you or acting like you didn’t even exist in their line of sight. She drew back, a bit apprehensive as she tried to read the situation. She was wondering if this was some mean girls stint to get her talking shit, only to have Kelley go back and tell them everything while they laughed over their expensive martinis at their poolside cabanas sidled up next to their lumbering mansions about the silly woman who would rather gallivant around the world playing some stupid game instead of settling down and marrying a rich man who can give her stability and a big family.

The freckle faced woman easily caught onto the brunette’s cautious expression and placed her hand gently on Ali’s arm to reassure her. “I’m a firm believer that just because you have shitloads of money it doesn’t mean you automatically have to act like a judgmental bitch,” she said, a bit louder than Ali would have liked because it caused a few heads to turn in their directions. She couldn’t tell through the shaded glasses, but she was certain there were some eye rolls being thrown their way and it drew her to Kelley even more. Clearly this woman got along just fine without the approval of the others and that was something she admired.

“Well we definitely agree on at least one thing,” Ali responded with a chuckle.

Kelley studied her for a minute before turning her attention to the herd of boys running around on the field. “That one over there in the blue shorts is my little guy, Brady,” she said, pointing to a boy who, much to Al’s delight appeared to be in a playful conversation with Tyler.

“Oh, the one he’s talking to is Tyler, my little man,” Ali replied, too excitedly for Kelley to miss.

She sat back a bit, fixing her expensive, dark washed jeans that stopped just before a pair of strappy heels. “Are you guys new here?” she asked carefully, not quite sure the whole story behind Ali and her son. “I know I saw you at Beeman Prep earlier, but I haven’t seen you around before this school year.”

Ali paused and took a deep breath. “Yeah. We uh…we’ve been in Orlando for a little over a year. I moved here for work, but we just recently moved to Thornton Park and had Tyler enrolled at Beeman for the school year.” She felt guilty for some reason, like this woman deserved to know more of the truth, that she could actually handle the truth and not judge, but honestly Ali wasn’t quite ready to share it yet. If the car incident with Tyler just minutes ago was any evidence, she definitely wasn’t ready to address the issue.

“Oh Thornton Park is beautiful!” Kelley exclaimed excitedly, again drawing sneering looks from the tempered woman below them. “What type of work brought you here?” she asked, trying to draw more out of the brunette who she hoped she could befriend. If their son’s got along like it appeared they did, they would likely be spending more time together anyways.

“I play for the Orlando Pride. They’re the-“

“No shit!” Kelley exclaimed, Ali again smiling at the slewing of profanities with no second thought to being prim and proper. “The women's professional team! Oh my god…You’re Ali Krieger?” she half stated, half asked as her eyes went wide in recognition and she leaned back to take in Ali in her entirety.

“Guilty,” the brunette replied shyly as she dipped her head when the other parents whipped around to glare at the scene Kelley was causing with her rambunctious excitement.

The paler woman clapped her hands excitedly. “You should be out there coaching!” she said, thrusting her finger towards the field where a muscular blonde was leading the boys in a shooting drill. “I mean as hot as the coach is…you probably know more about soccer,” she added with a chuckle.

Ali glanced at the glistening engagement and wedding ring combo on the woman’s finger and let out a light sigh. She wasn’t sure what it was with married woman pining after the hot soccer coach but it made her slightly uncomfortable. Easily catching onto her reaction, Kelley leaned forward again. “It’s okay. My wife Ann thinks the coach is a total hottie too,” she said with a quirky smile that instantly relaxed Ali. “So what’s your story?” she asked, crossing her legs in a position that seemed to Ali to be quite uncomfortable. “Husband? Wife? Single?” she asked, her eyes searching for Ali’s hand to locate a ring.

“I uh…I..” Ali began just as a shrill whistle pierced through the air, followed by audible gasps of everyone surrounding them. She whipped her head around. “TYLER!” she screamed, her body already frantically clamoring down the bleachers with no care as to who she elbowed or kicked on her way down. She made it out onto the field just in time to see his small body take a few staggering steps before crumpling to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd you guys think of Kelley in this one? Want to see more of her?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all wanted another chapter so here it is. Shit gets real this chapter, but just remember you asked for it!
> 
> You can hate me after this chapter, but I had a rough day so please be nice with the hate lol

Nothing was moving fast enough for Ali. Her legs weren’t moving fast enough to get her to her son’s side. The coach wasn’t moving out of her way fast enough, even trying to hold Ali back claiming he ‘needed space’. When she finally broke free from the coach’s desperate grip and dropped to her son’s side, Tyler’s eyes weren’t opening fast enough. They weren’t fluttering to show her that he was awake and coherent and that maybe he just hadn’t eaten his lunch and became a bit lightheaded. Then the EMTs weren’t moving fast enough when they pulled up and rushed over, pushing through the crowd of people that had gathered around her as she cradled her disoriented son to her chest. As they drove to the hospital, the ambulance wasn’t driving fast enough, wasn’t weaving in and out of traffic like she thought it should be to get them to the hospital quick enough.

It’s not that she was an impatient person, in fact life had taught her to be just the opposite over time. When she broke her leg playing soccer at Penn State, she had tried to push it, tried to speed up her progress and rehab and do things she wasn’t ready for, like fly across the country to attend her mother’s wedding, dancing and drinking the night away. That impatience, the inability to realize that her body would take its own course, had landed her in the hospital with pulmonary embolisms which almost claimed her life. Then her brother was dealing with his addiction and depression and she wished more than anything she could push him to a realization, to almost speed up the process of him hitting rock bottom and seeing all he had lost so that he would start recovery and work towards a healthy, sober life. It had resulted in nothing but stress and heartache and the acceptance that he was going to move at his own stubborn, drug induced state. And then again when she tore her ACL in Olympic Qualifiers she had pushed herself. She had made rehabilitation a 9-5 job, spending almost every waking moment trying to get her body to speed up recovery, but was left off the roster all the same. A lot of tears, quite a bit of yelling and a few cases of trashy red wine later, she finally came to terms with the fact that life, and all the people in it, moves at its own pace. No faster. No slower.

Still, as she sat in her son’s room in the hospital ER waiting to see a doctor, she doesn’t think they’re moving fast enough. It didn’t matter that _she_ had to wait for things, but when it came to her son’s health nothing would ever be fast enough. Her foot was tapping impatiently as she watched the second hand on the clock swing by the 12 again for what she knew was at least the thirtieth time. Her hand was wrapped around her sleeping son’s and although she was thankful that Tyler had been conscious during the ambulance ride, her heart still hadn’t settled yet. While his heart rate monitor was beating steadily –surely a good sign and a sound that should be calming her- she was well aware that hers was erratically spiking as if she’s just done several full field sprints on the pitch.

Finally, the door pushed open after a curt knock and a familiar face came walking into the room. “Dr. Harris,” she breathed out, confused yet thankful that Tyler’s regular pediatrician walked into the room. Dr. Harris was the second pediatrician Ali had taken Tyler to since they had moved to Orlando. Once the first had paid more attention to her breasts and hitting on her repeatedly than the small child he was supposed to be examining, she had gone back to the internet to find a doctor who would take her seriously. This doctor came highly recommended and from a family with extensive medical resumes. Though after one check up there had been a very sweet, and somewhat nervous interaction involving a request to get coffee sometime, after she politely rejected the offer, their professional doctor patient relationship hadn’t changed. Besides, Tyler loved the doctor who was also one of the best in the business.

She recovered from her slight shock. “What…what are you doing here, Chris?” she asked, still a bit confused to see him outside his regular office.

The burly blonde man with a gruff beard walked into the room with a chart in his hand and the smile he initially wore fell from his face a bit when he saw the pale, tired boy in bed. “I heard Tyler’s name come across my pager. Every Tuesday I do rounds in the pediatric wing at the hospital so I told the doctor on call that I’d take it,” he said, offering his hand to Ali who eagerly shook it, her eyes desperately searching his for some information.

“I’m just glad someone finally came in,” Ali said, unable to curb her clipped tone now that someone familiar was around. “He just passed out at soccer practice,” she said, turning and making her way back to Tyler’s bedside.

Chris nodded and followed behind her, peeling open the file that his eyes raked over again. He closed the file, already knowing his line of questioning before plopping down on the rolling leather stool and sliding across the room towards the little boy. “Hey, bud,” he said, holding his hand out for a fist bump which Tyler weakly, but eagerly returned.

“Hey, Dr. Harris,” he mumbled, his eyes staying open longer as he tried to prop himself up in bed. Ali wasn’t sure the connection they shared, but somehow Tyler always seemed to act a little tougher and a bit more macho whenever he was around the husky doctor.

Chris set the chart down on the table beside the bed before grabbing his stethoscope and doing the normal checks. “So what happened, Ty?” he asked before jotting a few things down. “Not feeling so hot, huh?” he asked, further prodding the boy. Tyler shook his head, his chestnut hair shaking with it as Ali watched the interaction leaning against the counter across the room. Even though Tyler had held her hand earlier, she still knew he was upset with her and wanted him to feel comfortable talking with the doctor. “Why don’t you tell me how you’ve been feeling lately,” he further encouraged and sat back to look him in the eyes.

“Tired,” he mumbled, dropping his eyes down to the sheet he was twisting around his fingers. “Kinda like I don’t have energy for stuff anymore,” he added, his voice sounding scared which broke Ali’s heart. She had thought the distance and aloofness was her son’s response to everything, not that it could have had medical implications. “And…I’ve felt a little light headed when I do go outside and play and stuff,” he confessed, finally looking up to meet Ali’s eyes with a hesitant expression.

It broke the brunette’s resolve to stay back and she briskly made her way over to her son’s side and wrapped him up in a tight hug. “Ty, buddy,” she whispered, peppering his head with doting kisses. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” she asked, curbing any accusation in her tone.

The little boy just shrugged before casting his eyes back to the doctor who was simply watching the interaction. He gave Ali a light pat on the back and gestured for her to take a seat on the bed beside Tyler. “Don’t worry, Ali,” he said with a warm, encouraging smile. “We will get this little guy back to his rambunctious self,” he said with a grin.

Another knock at the door pulled their attention again and Chris excused himself walking over to where a young, auburn haired nurse poked her head in. “Results from the blood tests,” she said softly before handing off the folder and squeaking out of the room. He took the file and opened it, his eyes scanning the paper before he quickly whipped it shut and bit his bottom lip.

“How’s your appetite been, Tyler?” the doctor asked as he sat down again and began running his fingers over his throat and neck. “Been eating alright?” The little boy nodded and squeezed his mother’s hand when the man hit a sensitive spot. “And when you do play, you said you feel weak?” he asked, pulling his hands back and grabbing a pen from his coat pocket. He clicked the tip out and jotted down a few notes before turning and looking at Tyler with an expectant gaze.

“Yeah. And sometimes a bit sore I guess. I dunno I haven’t played much,” he said softly, wondering where the line of questioning was going, as was Ali.

Dr. Harris nodded and rolled the chair back a few feet. “I need to make a quick call,” he said confidently. “Will you excuse me?”

Though Ali nodded, meanwhile her insides were twisting. Why wasn’t she getting any answers? She watched as the doctor retreated and figured he must have stepped just outside the door because she could hear his raspy, hushed voice on the other side. After a minute, he stepped back in, offering an apologetic smile for having to step out. “Sorry about that,” he said, slipping his phone back into his side lab coat pocket.

“So what’s the prognosis, doc?” Tyler asked impatiently, something he clearly got from his mother.

Ali nodded and sat up a bit straighter on the edge of the bed. “Yeah do we need to do some more tests or is it just a flu type of thing where I need to make him rest and pump him full of Gatorade?” she asked, letting out an edgy laugh.

“Ali, I actually just spoke with one of the hospital specialists about Tyler. The best there is. They should be down in a minute to speak further with you.”

“What type of specialist?” Ali challenged, pulling Tyler tighter to her as she maintained a protective stance over her son.

Just then there was a knock on the door which creaked open no more than two seconds later. A brief recognition flashed through her mind as the woman walked over and slapped Chris roughly on the back before reaching her hand out to Ali. “Hi. I’m Dr. Ashlyn Harris,” she said in a soft tone that didn’t quite match her exterior. Though her eyes were a soft, captivating hazel, everything else was hard. From her firm handshake, to tattoos wrapped around her arm, ending at her gold watch, to her sharp, chiseled cheek bones. Ali had little time to admire the attractive blonde though as the next words spilled out of her mouth. “I’m the head pediatric oncologist here.”

“An Oncologist?” Ali repeated, dropping the woman’s hand so fast like it was poisonous as she shot a desperate look to Chris for clarification. “Cancer?” she whispered in a broken voice as the siblings nodded sorrowfully.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kind words :) here's another update ending with even more reasons to swoon over Ashlyn. Hope you're all having a great day!

The room was spinning and Ali didn’t know how to stop it. They hadn’t even said the words, hadn’t verbalized the fact that her son has cancer, but she can see it in their faces. It was in the way their lips had curled down into an almost imperceptible frown. The way they both anxiously stared down at their hands, unable to meet her pleading eyes at first. And then, when her eyes did meet, when they finally locked on the soft pair of hazel eyes of the woman who had likely come to deliver the worst news she’ll ever hear in her entire life, she saw it in their hollowness. There was no depth behind them, just a dullness that must have evolved after years of telling parents that their children’s bodies were attacking themselves, that there was a chance they _didn’t_ make it to their next birthday.

She hadn’t even realized that she had collapsed onto the beds until she heard Tyler’s voice from right next to her, his hurt, confused tone riddling her to the core. “Cancer?” he chirped, his voice housing disbelief that Ali wasn’t sure if caused by his idea that he’s untouchable, or a merely hopeful optimism.

“Mrs. Krieger,” sounded a soft voice and this time Ali was able to again focus on everything in the room. The spinning had stopped and her eyes settled and focused on the perfectly polished pair of shoes the Oncologist was wearing. She already didn’t like the woman, but knew it was the negative association she had formed to her. She put her hand on top of Tyler’s, wincing when she felt him jerk away from her touch. Lifting her eyes, she finally met the woman’s gaze and nodded as if to give permission for her to unleash the truth. “The blood test results from the CBC we ran came back and Tyler has an extremely low white blood count,” she began, letting out a sigh as she took a step closer to the bed where both Ali and her son were now alert and sitting upright.

“So my son has cancer?” Ali asked, never one to beat around the bush. Even if the news was bad, she wanted it straight so that they could form a plan of attack and start trying to fix it immediately. She was trying her best to keep the tears at bay and ignore the way her heart was clenched so tightly in her chest. Now wasn’t the time to breakdown. She needed to be strong for her son, even if he acted like her didn’t need it. There would come a time when she was finally able to expel the poisonous feelings pumping through her veins, but now wasn’t it.

Another sigh left the blonde’s lips as she cast a glance to her brother who seemed more than willing to let her take the lead. It was her department after all and while Chris had taken a liking to Ali and Tyler and wanted to be there initially, Tyler would become Ashlyn’s patient and his interaction with them would quickly subside. “Well, I’ve ordered a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy for tomorrow morning to determine the exact type and extent, but yes based on initial tests it appears that Tyler has some form of leukemia.”

Ali took a deep breath in, one hand going to her mouth as the other clamped down on Tyler’s hand, this time firm enough that he wasn’t able to pull away from her. She was so lost, so confused. Her heart was racing as she tried to stave off the tears threatening to spill. It was the second time in as many hours that she had fought of tears to keep up a strong front for her son. Forcing down the dry lump in her throat, she took a shaky breath. “What…what does this mean?” she asked, searching for some type of explanation or clarification of just how drastically their life was about to change.

“I can take it from here, Chris,” Ashlyn said, turning and patting her brother’s shoulder. He nodded to Ali and Tyler before slipping out of the room to return to his normal rounds. After he left, Ashlyn pulled over a chair and sat down, leaving only a few feet between herself and the bed. One of the top pediatric oncologists in the state, she prided herself on her bedside manner and while the sight of a gorgeous brunette in front of her would usually evoke a different feeling in her, this was a professional environment and she would always treat it as such. “We’re going to keep Tyler overnight,” she began again, looking directly at Ali in an attempt to reassure her. She could tell from the glassiness of the soft, brown eyes that she wasn’t having the desired effect, but continued on. “In the morning we’re going to do some additional tests to see exactly what type of cancer we’re dealing with and then we can begin to discuss treatment options.”

Cancer. Treatment options. It was ironic that the more the blonde spoke, the less sure Ali became. The holes were supposed to be filled in, the information was supposed to be provided and absorbed and processed, but as the blonde oncologist droned on and on with possibilities and treatments and the importance of having a positive outlook, Ali felt more and more lost. This was worse than she had ever expected and what hurt the most was that she could have seen it coming. She could have read his signs and symptoms correctly and maybe this could have been caught earlier. But now here they were, her son pale and frail, laid out in a hospital bed after collapsing at a soccer. The guilt began creeping in and it was becoming harder and harder to bring full breaths of air into her lungs.

It was Ashlyn’s voice that pulled her from her thoughts again. “Would you like to call someone? Your husband…,” she said, casting a glance to Ali’s finger, only to find no ring on it, “or a…boyfriend… or family member?”

Ali looked up and held in the tears threatening to spill out at the mention of a husband or someone to spend her life with. Things had simply gotten so complicated and this was only going to blur lines even more. She simply nodded her head and dug her phone out of her purse. “Yeah…um…I’ll need to make a few calls. Will you be okay here for a sec, Ty?” she asked, casting her eyes towards her dejected looking son. His arms were crossed over his chest as he bit his bottom lip.

“Whatever,” the boy mumbled angrily, not even bothering to look up at his mother.

“I…I can stay with him for a minute,” the doctor offered with a polite smile. Truthfully, she had a hundred other things on her schedule, but she found her mouth opening before her mind had even processed it. It was too late to back out though so she followed her statement with an honest smile.

Initially, Ali felt bad. She knew how difficult Tyler could be when he was in a mood like this and the last thing she wanted to do was leave him with the woman who had just delivered the bad news and would likely be administering the medicine that would leave his body weak and razed. Still, she needed the support and knew that as much as she didn’t want to make the call, there was only one person in a position to offer her that at the moment. “Oh…um…that would be really great actually,” she said, forcing a weak smile that Tyler just scoffed at. “I promise I’ll only be a minute,” she quickly reassured her son more so than the doctor before slipping out the door into the hallway.

Ali had barely left the room before Tyler chirped up, her voice dripping with attitude. “I’m fine by myself. I’m not some little baby so you don’t have to stay.”

Ashlyn pulled her eyes from the door where they had just followed Ali out and turned back towards the young boy burrowed under the blankets on the small hospital bed. “I don’t mind,” she offered, easily able to pick up on his angry tone. It was a normal reaction for children, to become angry and lash out about their diagnosis, but this felt different. It had been awkward between the boy and his mother before she had delivered the bad news and she knew there had to be more to it. “Besides I like to get to know my patients a bit better,” she added sincerely as if this was actually a normal occurrence. Her pager vibrated in her pocket, but she ignored it knowing that she was just being called to a departmental meeting that would likely last the rest of her night anyways. This sad, angry boy in front of her felt so much more important, almost as if she was being drawn to him.

“There’s not much to know,” he said gruffly, his arms still crossed as he stared back at her impatiently. “This is bullshit. Can’t I just have Dr. Chris back as my doctor?” he groaned, not wanting this new woman treating him.

Ashlyn froze, pondering her course of action for a moment before deciding on taking a different approach than she normally would. Normally, she would just inform him that Chris was a different kind of doctor and couldn’t exactly administer this more complex treatment, but she felt that wasn’t going to cut it. This kid definitely needed a reason to smile. “Alright. I’ll make you a bet,” she said, a sly grin creeping across her face as her eyes flittered around the room.

“What’s that?” Tyler said, his eyes narrowing in skepticism. He wasn’t sure what this woman had up her sleeve, but he knew he really just wanted his old doctor back.

“How many of those cotton balls do you think I could fit in my mouth?” she asked, gesturing towards the counter where a large jar of white cotton balls sat.

The boy’s eyes narrowed further, but when the blonde threw her hands up in the air impatiently as if she was waiting for an answer, he figured she was actually being serious. “No more than fifteen.”

Ashlyn laughed and rolled over to the counter, plucking the jar off before rolling back towards Tyler. She plopped it on the bed and pulled the lid off before taking a deep breath. “Alright. If I fit more than fifteen of these in my mouth, I get to stay your doctor. If I can’t, then I’ll make some calls and see what I can do about getting you another doctor.” To be honest, she wasn’t sure that she could actually fit more than fifteen in her mouth and the only other doctor she could give him was someone on her team, but her competitive edge kicked in as she eyed the jar. She looked at him for a moment before jutting her large hand out towards the boy to shake. “Deal?” she asked, smiling when he quickly thrust his much smaller hand into hers and shook it.

With a deep breath, and a silent prayer, she grabbed the first cotton ball and popped it into her mouth, noting how the little boy’s eyes lit up like he wasn’t completely certain she would bother trying. “That’s one,” she got out around a mouthful of cotton before grabbing the second one from the jar and tucking it into her cheek. By the time she reached the 12th one, she was seriously beginning to think it wasn’t quite possible. Her mouth had gone completely dry and she wasn’t certain that she was going to be able to breathe anymore once she shoved cotton balls thirteen through sixteen into her mouth. Still, Tyler’s wide eyes and obvious excitement as he watched her try to accomplish the feat spurred her on and in a last ditch effort to accomplish it before asphyxiating herself, she grabbed four more cotton balls and crammed them all into her mouth. “Sixteen,” she mumbled through the cotton as Tyler dropped his head in defeat, a small laugh bubbling up from his chest.

The door swung open a moment later and Ali stepped back in, mumbling apology after apology for being on the phone so long. She froze at the sight before her; the blonde’s cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk’s with cotton swabs popping out from between her lips as her son was almost doubled over in laughter. It was a laugh that she hadn’t heard in ages and despite the bleak circumstances, it filled her heart with joy. “Sorry to interrupt,” she nearly whispered, as if her presence was instantly going to kill the mood. Though her heart was crushed from the recent news that this doctor had just delivered, to see her son smiling, even _laughing_ was quite a feat. If she could have slipped back out the door completely unnoticed, she would have stayed out there in the bustling hall for hours with her ear pressed against the door just listening to her son laugh. It was a sound that came few and far between the last few months and even that brief moment seemingly repaired a small fraction of her shattered heart. All she ever wanted was for him to be taken care of and happy. It killed her that her own happiness had essentially been the cause of his pain and the reason their relationship had become so strained.

Ashlyn’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red as she spit the cotton out into her palm, sputtering a bit as wisps clung to her cheeks and lips, and then shoved it all down into the white plastic garbage can lying next to the bed. “Uh…” she got out before coughing a few times due to her now severely dry throat. “Sorry we were just playing a little game,” she offered sheepishly while meeting the brunette’s gaze as her pager began vibrating again. Knowing it really was time to go, for more than one reason, she pushed away from the bed and finally stood.

“It’s okay,” Ali said a bit uncertainly as she skeptically eyed the blushing doctor, who appeared to be in physical discomfort, and her grinning son who looked like he had a secret to keep.

“I really should get going,” Ashlyn said, her eyes meeting Ali’s. She turned around to the still chuckling boy and shot him a furtive shrug followed by a mischievous grin that the boy returned, pleased that the doctor wasn’t letting his mom in on their secret game. “Sorry, Ty. Looks like you’re stuck with me, bud,” she added simply before heading towards the door. And with that, she was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel it's important to note that while I've done some research for this story, I am not in nor do I have any experience in the medical field. I try my best to be accurate, but there will definitely be mistakes regarding that aspect of the story. That being said, please feel free to call me out on them! I don't mind learning something new :)

Ali didn’t think the pain in her heart could get any worse, but it did. It got worse when she watched the IV get inserted into her son’s arm. It got worse when she saw the plunger push down, sending the light anesthesia pumping through his veins and when he got wheeled away for the bone marrow tests that Ashlyn had so thoroughly explained to her. It got worse when the calls from her mother, father and brother came streaming in; everyone grilling her on Tyler’s recent “accident” at soccer and the subsequent testing that he had been undergoing. And it most certainly got worse hours after the testing, hours after a groggy Tyler had been wheeled back into the room only to fall asleep again, when a serious, but solemn looking Ashlyn Harris came wandering into the room with a manila file folder clutched tightly in her hand.

A glance at the clock informed Ali that it was slightly past 4pm and she was honestly not quite certain where the time had gone. She’d been in the hospital, still in the same clothes for the past twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours that had completely transformed her life, taking the already tipsy-turvy relationship she and her son shared and flipping it completely on end. The screech of a chair being dragged across the floor pulled her from her exhausted thoughts and she looked up to meet the wary eyes of the doctor. She certainly was beautiful, in every sense of the word, but in this instance it did nothing to absolve the intense aching in her chest. All that mattered to her was Tyler and she needed him to know that he would always come first.

“Good evening, Ms. Krieger, Tyler,” Dr. Harris said with a nod as she plopped down in the chair across the room, her eyes following Ali as she leaned forward across Tyler’s bed and pulled his hand into hers. The boy gritted his teeth, but allowed the contact as his eyes fluttered open and met the doctor's’ gaze at his mother with a fiery one of his own.

“So…” he said impatiently with no attempt to hide the attitude he was sporting behind it.

The terse words, which seemed unnatural from a boy so young, pulled Ashlyn from her stare and she quickly flipped open the file, scanning the contents of it. She already knew the results of the test, but for some reason, with this patient, in this instance, she was struggling to find the words. Unsure if it was the boy who held an “it’s me against the world” attitude or his mother who was looking at her so pleadingly, as if begging her to find a way to allow her to take the sickness on herself, she took a deep, steadying breath before finally beginning a speech that she had said so many times it almost felt rehearsed.

“The results came back and our original assumptions were correct. It is leukemia. Acute myelogenous leukemia to be more specific,” she began, her eyes shifting between Ali and Tyler. As a pediatric oncologist she had learned that although children may not understand what she’s saying, it’s important to make them feel included. Other doctors chose to speak only to the parents, seemingly ignoring the child in the room and that irritated her to no end. These children were the ones who would be fighting for their life and they deserved to be just as informed as the adults in the situation. “Do you know what that means, Tyler?” she asked cautiously, easily reading the angry look on his face.

“It means I’m sick,” he stated flatly, pulling his hand from his mother’s grip. “And I’m probably going to die.”

At his pessimistically presumptive statement, Ali recoiled. “Tyler James Krieger,” she lightly scolded. “That’s not the attitude to have going into this.” Though she was clearly upset with his nonchalant attitude, it was clear that she was speaking from a place of terror, desperately searching the doctor’s eyes for some sign that this actually _wasn’t_ the case. Hope was a hard thing to come by these days, but she was desperate to find something to cling to.

“That’s not what it means, buddy,” the doctor evenly corrected him. “We actually caught it early which is a very good thing.” She smiled warmly at the boy who just stared back at her blankly, seemingly unconvinced by her words. Ali on the other hand, let out a soft exhale as she found some hopeful words in the doctor’s statement. “So now that we’ve got you diagnosed, we can start talking about treatment options,” she said, this time turning back to Ali and becoming more serious. “Just because we caught it early, doesn’t mean that it’s going to be an easy road to recovery. I’m recommending based on his weakened immune system that we admit him immediately and start with chemo.”

Ali’s eyes widened a bit when she realized how quick everything would move. The day before things weren’t moving fast enough, but today they were almost moving too fast. She nodded, taking in a deep breath. “Are there any other tests or doctors we need to see before discussing treatment?” she asked, knowing from her time in athletics that sometimes a second opinion or test to ensure a correct diagnosis was best.

“Ms. Krieger, the tests are conclusive. Your son has AML and it’s best if we begin treatment immediately.”

It still wasn’t enough for Ali who knew she needed to do her due diligence. It was her son’s life at stake after all. She gave the young doctor a quick once over before letting out another sigh. “And what type of experience do _you_ have treating this? Is there a better facility I should consider taking my son to?” She hated that she was practically insulting the doctor who had been nothing but patient and kind to both her and her son, but when it came to his health she wouldn’t hold anything back.

Unfazed by the questions, Ashlyn bit her cheek and waited for the brunette to stall her line of probing questioning. “While you are more than welcome to take him somewhere else for a second opinion, I can assure you that this hospital is the best in not only Orlando, but also Florida at treating pediatric cancers. Tyler is in good hands here…with me. I’m the head pediatric oncologist for a reason,” she added, her tone firming up at the end to get her point across. “Would you like me to give you some names of other pediatric oncologists in the area?” she asked after a moment, her eyes meeting Ali’s.

“I don’t want to go anywhere else,” Tyler’s voice cut through the room, causing both women to break their stare off and turn towards him. “Can we just get this shit over with?”

“Tyler James,” Ali hissed under her breath again, wondering where her son had learned all this terrible language. “We don’t use that word and you know that,” she said exasperatedly as a blush crept up her cheeks. This doctor must think she’s a terrible mother if her seven year old son has already cursed several times in a ten minute conversation. She shot the doctor an apologetic look that was simply waved off.

“It’s alright. I’ve heard it all before,” she said with a wink to Tyler that simply made him smirk.

Ali ignored the fact that her seven year old son’s doctor was practically telling him it was okay to curse and grabbed the attention in the room again. “So you’ll be his doctor through all of this?” she asked. She wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going to be passed around to a handful of doctors because Dr. Harris was too busy with other matters.

“My team and I will be,” she replied, easily catching on the way Ali’s eyes narrowed. “I will be the lead doctor on this case and I assure you that I am always available for my patients. Occasionally another member of my staff will be working with him, but I’m always on call and I assure you that my staff is top notch. I’ve handpicked them all and will introduce you to them myself.”

The brunette relaxed a bit at the doctor’s insistence that she would always be available if needed and sat back in her chair, ready to hear the blonde unleash the treatment plan she had outlined. An hour later, and forty-five minutes after Tyler stopped paying attention completely, Ashlyn had finished outlining the plan of action. Halfway through she had handed Ali a pen and watched as the mother scribbled endless notes on the paper outlining the treatment plan that she had handed over. It was a complicated process involving several cycles of chemo, interspersed with two week long recovery periods. Most people wouldn’t comprehend everything, but she was impressed by how insistent Ali was with her questions until she grasped everything from the timing, to the drug names and even possible side effects and exactly what their lives would look like over the next few months. Throughout it all, the brunette took diligent notes, her face etched in complete concentration as she occasionally shot a glance over at her now dozing son.

She could tell that Ali was loyal and fiercely protective of her son, which only made their strained relationship more intriguing to her. That along with the fact that there was never a mention of the child’s father or a significant other. She could see how worn out and tired the woman was and knew that this was going to be a long road for both of them, especially if Ali didn’t have a strong support group. Her face was a bit paler and from what she could tell the brunette hadn’t even eaten or left her son’s side since he was admitted the previous night.

When it seemed like Ali had finally run out of questions, she watched the brunette sink back into her chair with an exhausted sigh. It was overwhelming and as she roughly brushed a few stray hairs out of her face before tossing the sheet of paper and the pen on the table beside her. She stood up and walked across the room to where her purse was, digging her phone out so she could check and see if her she had gotten any messages or calls. “Jesus. Is there anything else I need to know?” she finally asked on the way over with a cold, sarcastic laugh, turning to shoot the doctor a smile that did little to hide the pain in her eyes.

Ashlyn offered a weak smile of her own, knowing she couldn’t lie to the woman. It was going to be a long road. It always was with her patients, but for some reason she seemed more invested in the duo even though she had just met them. She stood up and walked over to the upset mother and placed a hand gently on her arm, pulling the woman’s attention to her eyes. “Hey, we’re going to do everything we can to get Tyler healthy again,” she said with a reassuring tone. “I’ll be here every step of the way for you _both_ , okay?”

“Okay,” Ali whispered. For a moment, she almost felt like she was listening to a supportive, reassuring partner and not a doctor whose paying job was to take care of her son. Lost in the hazel eyes that looked deeply back into hers, she smiled, actually smiled for the first time in over a day. The beeping of a machine from the room across the hall pulled her from her trance, reminding her of where they were and who Ashlyn actually was and the blonde’s hand immediately dropped back down to her side.

“Here’s my card,” the doctor quickly added, turning back into complete professional mode while digging through her lab coat pockets as she fought the blush threatening to creep up her cheeks. It was a dangerous line to walk and she knew the brunette didn’t need anything to make her life more complicated at the moment. “I’ll see you and Tyler back here tomorrow morning at 8am, alright?”

“Um…yeah,” Ali said, trying to form coherent thoughts as she focused back in on the fact that her son was going to be undergoing chemotherapy the next morning while she watched the concerned doctor slip out of the room and down the hallway.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the plot thickens.... :)
> 
> Hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

“Alright, let’s start kicking this cancer’s butt,” Ashlyn said early the next morning with an encouraging smile as she gently flicked the bag containing the high doses of chemotherapy that would soon be pumping through Tyler’s veins with her pointer finger.

She had worked with her team to develop the right treatment plan for Tyler, taking into account the already low white blood cell count, as well as his age and slightly lower than average weight. Tyler would undergo three days in a row of daunorubicin and cytarabine, followed by a ten day rest period, before another cycle was started. With his age and the severity of the blasts in his counts, she wanted to be a bit more aggressive, but monitoring him closely would be necessary due to the intensity of the treatment. It would mean remaining hospitalized in between cycles as well which she knew was going to be hard not only on Tyler, but also Ali.

She still hadn’t had any family show up and could tell how exhausted the brunette was. One of the most important things she told parents was to take care of themselves as well and she figured this was a conversation she would need to have with the brunette at some point. She had seen countless cases where mothers or fathers would refuse to leave their child’s bedside, living off of coffee and food from the vending machine as they became hollow versions of themselves along with their children who were undergoing chemo. The last thing she wanted was to see the beautiful, tan brunette wither away in front of her as so many before her had. It didn’t help that she had no family arrive to help her yet and she almost found herself offering to stay with Tyler for a bit or calling a nurse to so she could take a few minutes and maybe eat or go home and shower and change before she caught herself and choked the words back. _Would she so willingly offer to do that for any other of her patient’s mothers or fathers?_ Chalking it up to a simple concern for her patient’s caregiver, she shifted her attention back to the little boy. “How does kicking cancer’s butt today sound, buddy?” she added, glancing down from the computer screen attached to the IV drip machine to the little boy who was sitting up in bed with an annoyed look on his face.

“Whatever,” he grumbled. He was still angry with his mother for ‘ruining his life’ and angry with the world for giving him cancer. Though he knew his mother was apologetic and extremely worried, he couldn’t rid himself of the bubbling anger. Mostly though, he was just agitated, tired and scared beyond measure. “And I’m not your buddy,” he finally added in a curt tone without even bothering to look up at the doctor who unbeknownst to him had stayed up the majority of the night thinking about him and his chances at recovery. While she worried about her patients frequently, she felt something different stirring within her. Two cups of coffee in a thirty minute span had done a bit to energize her after the sleepless night, but she was unable to stave off a yawn, instead forced to hide it in her shoulder for the moment.

Ali wanted to scold him for being clipped with the doctor, but she honestly didn’t have the energy to fight him at the moment. She still hadn’t left the hospital, her mother having difficulty getting time off while her ‘better half’ was struggling to make it to the hospital as well. Her eyes were puffy and red from the combined crying and lack of sleep, and her stomach rumbling reminded her that she hadn’t had anything to eat besides a bag of chips from the vending machine and a bite of her son’s leftover toast from earlier that morning. She knew that her Pride coaches, while nothing but wildly supportive of whatever she needed to do to care for Tyler, would not be happy that she was mistreating her body. She knew one of them needed to be in good sorts, but she just couldn’t bring herself to leave Tyler’s side at the moment. Until someone else was there to take care of him in her short absences, she would remain glued to his hospital bed with a hopefully optimistic smile plastered on her face. Thankfully, Ashlyn waved off her apologetic look again because she knew Tyler needed her unwavering support whether he acted like he wanted it or not.

“This will last for a an hour or so. You might feel a little tired and groggy during and definitely after your treatment. There’s some medicine for nausea in your IV too, but if you’re still having an upset stomach or are feeling pain let the nurse know right away, okay?” Her voice was calm and filled with compassion as her hand rested gently on the little boy’s shin, her eyes trying to instill strength in him that she knew he desperately needed. He simply nodded, again essentially ignoring her for the most part. “Alright,” she continued, knowing that it was going to take a bit more for him to possibly open up to her. “Let me know if either of you need anything,” she finally concluded, giving Ali a small, optimistic smile.

The brunette’s eyes were filled with sadness, but beyond that she could see how even in such a short amount of time, the life was slowly draining from them. The prior days, while she was obviously still worried about her son, they were a brilliant brown, laden with golden specks that caught the light just perfect. Now they were duller, less shine to the once bright hue and Ashlyn couldn’t bring herself to watch Ali deteriorate as well. After deciding it was in fact something she would do for another patient’s parent, she decided she would make a trip to the cafeteria. She was going to grab herself another coffee, along with a drink and a couple muffins to bring up for Ali so she would finally be able to eat something. She patted Tyler’s leg once more and then turned to make her way towards the door.

Her hand was on the handle just as someone on the other end grabbed it and pulled the door open, frantically rushing into the room. Their bodies collided and Ashlyn was thankful that all her time at the gym gave her a sturdier frame than it looked like, only taking a few steps back instead of being sent crashing into the floor by the much buffer man.

“Oh shit. I’m so sorry!” said a man who looked to be about Ali’s age with similar features to Tyler. He was in tight black sweatpants and a loose fitting heather gray crew neck sweater with his hair combed to the side. _Guess the kid gets his potty mouth from his father_ , Ash thought before weakly accepting the man’s apology with a nod.

“It’s okay. I’ll leave you guys alone for some family time,” she said with a forced smile, wondering where the hell the kid’s dad had been for the last forty-eight hours. Judging from the outfit he was wearing, it didn’t appear that he had come rushing back from some business meeting across the country. She sidestepped, letting him make his way over to Ali and Tyler. She watched as he pulled them both into a tight hug, hearing him softly ask, “How’s our little man doing?” before she pulled the door shut tightly behind her. She still wasn’t sure of the story and knew that nothing could ever happen between them anyways, but there was a slight pang of hurt in her chest and she couldn’t exactly pinpoint its origin.

She didn’t have long to let her thoughts linger as her pager went off. One look at it made her eyes go wide as she took off sprinting down the hall, pushing a nurse’s cart of her way as she barreled into another room in the hospital and frantically began shouting instructions.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all had a good weekend! Posts may be a little sporadic this week with the holidays and me traveling, but I'll do my best. Enjoy :)

Ashlyn leaned back against a wall by the elevators in the pediatric wing, her head dropped in her hands as she tried to shake the emotions riddling her body. Her knees felt weak and if she didn’t have other patients currently getting treatment, she would have just locked herself in her office for the rest of the day and night.

A light nudge pulled her from her thoughts and she cautiously glanced up, wondering which male doctor was going to scold her for caring too much. Instead, she was met with a soft pair of familiar brown eyes and felt her once clenched heart literally skip a beat. “You alright, Doctor Harris?” the brunette asked, her forehead wrinkled in obvious concern.

The blonde doctor immediately felt guilty. Here was Ali, asking if _she_ was okay when her son was the one down the hall getting chemotherapy drugs pumped through his tiny body. She quickly forced a smile on her face and nodded. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t burden Ali with what was bothering her at the moment. Not with the precarious situation they both found themselves in. “Oh…uh…yeah. I’m alright,” she fumbled with her words while awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. “Thanks for asking. How’s Tyler?” she asked, trying to draw the conversation back to, professionally, where it should be.

“He’s doing alright. I got kicked out for some alone ‘man to man’ time with him,” she said with a soft laugh and rolled her eyes.

The annoyance in her voice was unmistakable as she let out a frustrated sigh. _What kind of asshole tells a mother to leave her kid when he’s getting chemotherapy? _she thought, literally shaking her head at the woman’s words. “Well I was just going to head down to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat. You haven’t eaten since Tyler was admitted, have you?” she said, essentially asking Ali to join her without actually asking.__

__The brunette studied her for a moment, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the hospital around them. “Have you been watching me, Dr. Harris?” she asked, her lips turning up into a slight teasing smile._ _

__“Nope. Just a hunch,” the doctor said with a smirk as the elevator doors chimed and began to open. She held her arm out, gesturing for Ali to go first which she did with a smile._ _

__The cafeteria at Arnold Palmer Hospital was quite expansive, with several different islands housing different types of food. There was one with already made pizzas, a pasta station, a soup and salad bar, a sub shop and along the back wall stretched a long counter with various prepared foods. Ali’s eyes went wide, indecision already taking over her as she scanned the area._ _

__Easily catching her expression, Ashlyn placed a hand on her arm and gave it a light squeeze to gather her attention. “They make pretty good subs here,” she said and gestured towards the corner where a small Asian man was furiously rushing to pull a pan of freshly baked bread out of the oven. “And it’s quick so we can get you back to Tyler sooner,” she added, wanting Ali to know that she wasn’t trying to monopolize her time._ _

__The brunette nodded and followed the blonde doctor over to the little sub shop. She watched with an amused smile as Ashlyn and the man named Wu interacted, the doctor immediately asking how his wife and children were doing. It was refreshing in the busy hospital to see someone slow down and really appreciate the people surrounding them. The nurses working with them had been godsends, but she had witnessed a few occasions where doctors couldn’t seem to be bothered with some basic human decency when it came to other hospital workers. Just the other night when she was walking to the bathroom she saw a doctor who appeared to be in his forties with salt and pepper hair slip on a puddle of water, right next to a caution sign, that he hadn’t noticed on the floor. As the Janitor approached wheeling a cart, the doctor sent him a disgruntled look and some not so kind words referring to how ‘his kind of people’ are always moving so slow._ _

__So engrossed in her thoughts, she didn’t realize the blonde was talking to her until she felt a nudge. “Huh?” she said, quickly trying to cover the fact that she had been zoning out._ _

__“I asked what type of sub you would like,” Ashlyn repeated with a patient smile as she watched Ali quickly peruse the menu before telling her what she wanted. The blonde turned and repeated the order back to Wu and then turned back to Ali as he rushed away to make it, knowing the doctor was always in a hurry. Just this once, Ashlyn wished he would slow down a bit so she could get to know the woman she was with just a bit better._ _

__Ali caught Ashlyn studying her and let out a soft sigh. “Is this the part where you tell me how important it is to take care of myself and make sure I’m eating and sleeping and actually showering?” she asked with a chuckle as she leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. Ali knew she looked like a mess and for some reason was slightly embarrassed that she hadn’t showered in over two days._ _

__“I was thinking about it,” Ash confessed with a timid smile. “Believe it or not, I’ve seen a lot of concerned parents leave here a lot worse than they came in. Part of it is the stress and that’s understandable, but Tyler is going to need you at your best. I’m not going to lecture you. Just a friendly piece of advice,” she added with a smile, trying not to make it seem like she was mothering the brunette._ _

__The concern the doctor was showing her, whether it was something she did for all of her patient’s parents or not, made Ali smile. “I appreciate the advice,” she said sweetly before narrowing her eyes and adding, “even if it makes you sound like my mother.” Ashlyn threw her hands up in playful defeat before turning to grab the sandwiches Wu held out to her. She slipped him a twenty dollar bill, much to Ali’s reluctance before handing her the warm turkey and Swiss sub. “You didn’t have to do that,” Ali said as she slowly took the sub from the blonde’s extended hand. “But thank you.”_ _

__“Of course,” Ashlyn replied, thankful that Ali didn’t fight her on it. “Now, let’s get you back to your son.” She glanced at her black leather-banded Armani watch before glancing back down at the brunette. “He should have about twenty minutes left on this one and I’ll check in after I do some quick paperwork.”_ _

__Ali nodded, catching onto how the blonde’s smile slipped off her face towards the end. They walked side by side to the elevator in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Ashlyn leaned forward and tapped the UP button before leaning back against the wall to wait. It reminded Ali of how she had found the blonde just moments before and she couldn’t stop the words from spilling out._ _

__“Did you lose someone today?” she asked, her voice small and timid almost like she was afraid of the answer, and in part, she was._ _

__Their eyes met and it didn’t take Ashlyn nodding or muttering a simple “yes” for Ali to know what had happened. She had lost a patient, more than that, a child that morning. The hurt and pain was evident and something she wasn’t quite used to seeing in doctors. She had been around her fair share of them to know a normal reaction and while they were sympathetic, even apologetic when they informed her that her leg was broken or her ACL torn, there was never _that_ amount of distress written in their expressions. The difference though, was that a torn ACL or broken bone was not a life or death matter, but even so, when she had been admitted to the hospital after a series of pulmonary embolisms, the young female doctor still didn’t seem distraught as she told her she may or may not make it through the night. This was different though, she could see the blonde taking it personally and although it scared her, making the reality that she could _actually_ lose Tyler even more apparent, it was almost calming to know that someone who cared _that_ much was watching over her son._ _

__“I’m sorry,” Ali whispered, not knowing what else to say as she gently gripped the blonde’s arm after they stepped into the elevator. What do you say to a woman who you barely know who has lost a patient that after over ten years in the field, is supposed to be able to not take things personally? Especially when that same person you know likely cares or will care just as deeply for your son._ _

__Ashlyn quickly brushed the lone tear from her eyes before shaking her head. “No. It’s okay. _I’m_ sorry, You’re the last person I should be discussing this with,” she added, her voice sounding more businesslike than Ali had heard their entire interaction in the cafeteria. It was almost as if she was turning back into doctor mode, shifting away from the friend or whatever limbo they had just found themselves in._ _

__They rode the elevator in silence, neither one knowing what to say. Once the doors opened, revealing the pediatric cancer wing, Ashlyn held her arm out for Ali to go first. Stopping outside of Tyler’s room, Ali held up her sandwich. “Thanks again for this. I appreciate it,” she said, her eyes shining with thankfulness. “I should get back to my boys,” she added, nodding to the closed door behind her._ _

__“Don’t mention it,” Ashlyn replied. “I’ll be back once I wolf this down to check on your little guy.”_ _

__Ali nodded and watched Ashlyn turn to walk back to her office, and stopped just before turning the handle. “Hey, Dr. Harris?” The blonde turned and looked at her expectantly with one hand crammed in her pocket. “It’s okay to talk to me if you need.”_ _

__“Excuse me?” she said, her face scrunching in confusion._ _

__“Earlier,” she said pointing to the elevator, “you said you shouldn’t be talking to me about those things.” She paused, taking a deep breath. She knew what she was offering, the option to talk about losing patients -one of which could one day be her son, but she refused to believe it. Tyler was a fighter, he was strong, so strong, and she could be too. The woman who was giving her all to help her son through the battle could use someone on her side as well. “But…if…I guess if you need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to come find me.”_ _

__A small smile crawled across the doctor’s lips. “Thank you,” she said with genuine appreciation. “Now go get back to your boys.” She watched Ali as she turned and opened the door, hearing them happily welcome her back to their ‘Man Cave’, until the door shut softly. She knew it would be walking a fine line, but she couldn’t help but be drawn to the captivating brunette. Her bright smile and stunning eyes, the way her nose crinkled when she smiled deeply or how she just radiated a refreshing optimism. In dark times, she was finding it hard not to cling to the light._ _


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash and mystery man exchange some words and Dr. Engen comes into the picture. Enjoy :)

“Harris, they need you in room 311.”

Ashlyn looked up to see Whitney, another doctor on her oncology team as well as her best friend, walking up to her dressed in her scrubs with a few files tucked under her arm. Her stethoscope was tossed haplessly around her neck as she clutched a Styrofoam cup of cheap coffee tightly in her hand. She looked tired, her usually bright blue eyes a bit bleak, and her mouth in a tight-lipped smile. “Are you on a double right now?” Ashlyn asked, grabbing the files from her friend to file them away where they belonged. It certainly wasn’t her job, but she could tell that he friend could use a short break. It had been a hectic morning on the medical campus not just for herself.

“Yeah. Jim needed off since his wife is sick and there’s no one to take care of Teddy,” she got out around a wide yawn that she didn’t even bother to cover. There was no use in trying to hide her exhaustion from the blonde who could read her like an open book regardless.

Ashlyn shook her head as she flipped through the files for 311. “Go home, Whit,” she said with as much authority as she would ever try and pull over her friend.

The two went way back to medical school, Ashlyn coming home to Orlando after graduating from Georgetown while Whitney had taken up residency at a top notch hospital in California. They had kept in touch though, often visiting each other when time would actually permit and as soon as Ashlyn had secured her spot as head pediatric oncologist at Arnold Palmer, her first call was to her best friend. It didn’t take much, the blonde had offered her more of a salary than Whit thought she deserved and she figured Florida was similar enough to California that there couldn’t be too much change. Besides, it was a big step up in her career and pediatrics is where she wanted to be.

Whit just finished sipping her coffee, trying not to grimace at the bleak taste before tossing the cup into the trash receptacle behind the nurse’s station. “Why don’t I go help you with 311,” she said, reaching around the blonde to pluck the file she had been ruthlessly searching for from the drawer, “and then I’ll think about it.”

Knowing the younger woman wasn’t going to change her mind, Ashlyn simply nodded and slid the file from Whit’s hand. “Fine,” she said, pretending to be annoyed that Whit was ignoring her request. “Name is Tyler Krieger. He’s seven years old and we’re treating him for AML,” Ashlyn began informing the light haired woman as they walked down the hall towards the room.

“Krieger?” Whit asked. Her face was a bit perplexed as she studied the blonde while waiting for a response. “As in, Ali Krieger’s kid?”

Ashlyn stopped a few doors down from the room and turned so she was facing the other doctor. “Yeah…She famous or something?” Ashlyn knew Whitney was used to having B-List celebrities, occasionally even family members of A-listers as patients when she was working in Los Angeles, but this wasn’t as common in Orlando.

“Ash, she’s the one who played on the Women’s National Team and just joined that pro team the Orlando Pride last year,” Whit stated, furrowing her brow. “We’ve been to a game before,” she chuckled. She was honestly surprised her best friend didn’t remember such a beautiful face, especially since she had caught herself staring at her a few times during the game when the ball wasn’t even in their defensive half.

Thinking back, Ashlyn realized that the woman did look slightly familiar. She vaguely remembers the game she and Whit had attended the year prior, as special guests of the Pride since Arnold Palmer’s orthopedics division served as the official medical provider of the team. It had been after a double shift though and not enough coffee in the world could have made her alert. That combined with the amount of faces she saw every day, made everything seem to blur together. “Oh right. Yeah, well she’s here in the room with her husband for their son, Tyler.” She pointed to the room and turned to make her way over, knowing Tyler’s treatment was likely going to be over soon.

“Husband? You didn’t hear what happened?” Whit asked, gently grabbing the blonde’s wrist to stop her.

Just as Ashlyn turned around, Morgan, a younger nurse called Moe by most of the doctors, popped her head out of the room. “Dr. Harris we need you in here,” she said, her tone holding a bit of urgency.

The blonde didn’t need to hear anything else before she quickly whisked into the room. “This is Whitney Engen, part of my team,” she began, introducing the new doctor who shook hands with everyone in the room quickly, before their attention all turned back to Tyler. “So what’s going on?” she asked, her attention flicking between Moe, Ali, who was holding Tyler’s hand as the bigger man held her tightly, and Tyler who looked to be in extreme discomfort.

“It hurts,” Tyler whined, though Ashlyn could tell her was really trying his best to be tough. If the stubborn little boy from the prior two days told her anything, it was that if he didn’t absolutely have to ask for help he wouldn’t.

Ashlyn tossed her file on the small dresser opposite his bed and squatted down a bit so that she was closer to him. “What hurts, Tyler?” she asked, her voice calming with a hint of urgency.

“My stomach and my legs,” he groaned, his hand wrapped tightly around Ali’s. “They just started hurting.”

She turned and caught Ali’s expression. The brunette sat up and nodded, informing her that he had in fact just started being in pain and told the blonde that he had been a bit nauseas earlier in the treatment as well. Both she and the man looked concerned and Ashlyn could feel her stomach twisting in knots. This was only the beginning. The pain would get worse; the exhaustion would set in, and steal every ounce of his energy and childlike youth. Then the hair would start falling out. He would lose weight and likely become a shell of his former self until they finally rid his body of the cancerous cells taking over it. It pained her to watch, but it was the same every time. It was almost as if they were trapped by a solid wall. The only way out, was to dig deep, to force themselves into even deeper and darker territory, until they could finally, hopefully pop up safely on the other side. It wasn’t pretty, they were all going to come out dirty and scarred and exhausted, but if they did everything right, they would still all come out alive.

“Whit, can you get me a dose of Emend, please?” she asked politely, but still urgently as she took control of the room. “And Moe some more water please. We need to keep him better hydrated.” Both women nodded and scurried out of the room to quickly do what was asked of them. “Now there’s not too much we can do for the pain right now, bud,” she said apologetically, “but I know you’re a pretty tough guy, right?” She shot him an expectant look before checking over his vitals to try and get his mind off of the pain. Whit came back into the room with a needle which Ashlyn took from her, checked the dosage and then carefully administered. “This will help with your tummy ache though. It should work pretty quick, okay?” she asked, looking patiently into the little boy’s eyes for an answer.

Tyler nodded, rolling over a bit. “Thanks,” he mumbled, causing the two women to share a small smile.

“You’re welcome. If anything else hurts, you let me know right away, okay?” she asked, gently ruffling his unruly chestnut locks. He nodded and offered the tiniest thankful smile. Remembering what her brother had told her about him, Ashlyn extended her fist out which Tyler eagerly met with his own. “Hang tough, bud,” she said softly, offering a wink to Ali who was wearing an amused grin at the interaction between her son and the other Harris doctor that somehow seemed to charm him. “If he needs anything at all, let me know. I’m Dr. Harris, by the way,” she said, her eyes finally setting on the man who had an arm draped protectively around Ali’s shoulder.

He stood a bit and grabbed her extended hand with a grip tighter than she had expected and was even necessary. “Nice to meet you doctor,” he said with a warm, bright white smile as he shook her hand firmly. “Thanks for taking care of our little guy here,” he said, nodding towards Tyler who looked like his pain had already settled just a bit.

“Of course,” she replied, trying to push of any misconceptions she might have of the man who couldn’t be bothered to show up in less than two days for his son with cancer. “It’s my job and I take it very seriously,” she added over the sound of the cartoons playing on TV.

“Except for the fist-bumping of patients and buying their moms lunch part, right?” he teased, his eyes twinkling in the bright, white light of the hospital room as he pulled his hand back and sat back down. Ashlyn wasn’t sure if it was her prior assumptions or not, but she thought she heard a slightly accusatory tone in his voice. He pulled Ali tightly into his side and the slight scowl on Tyler’s face couldn’t be missed as he pulled his hand out of Ali’s grip and turned so that his back was to his mother.

Ali gently smacked the man on the arm as Ashlyn shoved her now empty hand into her pocket. “Uh, well,” she said, coughing into her shoulder as she tried to compose herself. “If he needs anything, please don’t hesitate to call.”

With that she turned on her heels and exited the room, a confused Whitney Engen on her heels. She barely made it ten steps down the hall, before she felt a strong hand close around her right shoulder. “Ash,” she said, her eyes narrowing a bit as she studied her best friend’s miffed expression. “What the hell was that?” she further prodded when the blonde just dropped her eyes to the floor.

Ashlyn just shrugged her shoulders, dropping Whit’s hand to her side again. “Nothing, Whit.”

“Do you have a thing for that kid’s mom? For Ali Krieger?” she asked, knowing that before anything Ashlyn was a complete professional and would never do anything to jeopardize her job or the hospital’s reputation.

“No,” she hissed sharply in response. “She hadn’t eaten in two days, Whit, so I took her down to the cafeteria with me,” she said. “That’s it.”

The shorter doctor sighed and nodded, letting her defenses drop. “Alright. Just be careful, Harris.”

“Always am, Whit,” the blonde mumbled dismissively before turning around to make her way back to the nurse’s station to get an update on her other patients, realizing just how true that statement was. Work first, always. “I always fucking am.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone celebrating has a happy thanksgiving tomorrow! Enjoy :)

Ashlyn was exhausted. Her eyes were barely able to stay open after another 16 hours at the hospital and she knew her movements were beginning to become delayed. A good doctor pushed themselves, but a great doctor was able to recognize even their own limitations. She knew she needed sleep, actual sleep in her actual bed especially with how hectic the next few days would be. With a sigh, she pushed her reading glasses up and rubbed her tired eyes. It was almost eight pm, a time well past when normal people were on A1A driving home after their 9 to 5 jobs to their families to have a nice dinner surrounding a dining room table, followed by Netflix binging on the couch. Honestly, it’s what Ashlyn had always imagined herself doing at this point in her life, thinking that she would follow her father and Chris’s footsteps in primary pediatric care. It wasn’t until she met Julian, a three year old with terminal brain cancer and the most positive outlook on a life, that to everyone else seemed so bleak, that she realized this was where she wanted to be; in the hospital, surrounded by patients and their loved ones, fighting to give them a better outlook on life. 

It wasn’t always easy, there were certainly more bad days than good, but to her, the look on a parent’s face when you told them their child was cancer free, or the way a little girl’s smile stretched ear to ear when you told her she’ll actually make it to her fifth birthday which she’s dreamed of being princess themed, there’s no feeling better than that. Unfortunately, long and unpredictable hours in the pediatric oncology ward didn’t necessarily bode well for having a steady relationship and so at 8 pm on a Thursday she was sitting alone in her office with a cup of tea in one hand and a patient’s file in the other.

A light knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts as she brought her eyes up from the page she was reading to see her brother standing in the threshold with his arms crossed. “You’re still here?” he asked, although the tone in his voice was more chiding than surprised. It wasn’t the first time Chris had found his exhausted sister piling through patient files or new research on treatments that were being developed and tested.

“Yeah I’ve got some things to take care of,” she mumbled, dropping her eyes back down to read and hoping that he would go away. They both knew it wasn’t that easy though. When he remained frozen in the doorway, she sighed and dropped her packet of papers. “What do you want, Chris?” 

“Whitney said you lost one today,” he said, approaching her desk cautiously.

She didn’t even need to look at Chris to know that she had been caught. Whenever she lost a patient, she would throw herself into work even more so than normal. She would stay at work for days, taking occasional naps on the small leather couch lining the back wall of her office or even face down on her desk when exhaustion simply overcame her. It was one of the drawbacks of having no one to go home to, no one to answer to. These were the days she wished there was a girlfriend or a wife to come home to. She would wrap her in her arms in a role reversal and hold her tightly, kissing her to make the pain go away. And maybe they would even have a little boy or girl who would warp their tiny hands around her pointer finger and drag her outside to run around or play in the waves crashing on the beach, unknowingly taking her mind away from the loss while simultaneously reinforcing the fact that there is still good all around her. And then late at night, during the hours she would normally find herself alone in her office reading patient files to prevent the same thing from happening again, her lover would bring her into bed and would skillfully push the numb away. She would make her feel so intensely that she was left a sated, panting mess, with only memories of their heated love making floating through her mind just as she drifted off to sleep. It was just a pipedream though she realized as she let out a long sigh and met her brother’s concerned eyes.

“I did,” was all she offered, leaning back in her leather chair as she threw her feet up on her desk in an attempt to appear casual.

Chris took a few more steps into the room before sinking down into one of the two dark gray upholstered armchairs that perfectly matched the frame around her Georgetown Medical School Degree hanging on the wall just above her head. “Ash, you can talk to me, you know,” he said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

“I know. And if I needed to talk I would,” she stated simply, leveling her gaze with her brother’s. In reality, she had so much to say. Normally she would take Chris up on his offer, but for some reason there was really only one person she wanted to talk to.

The answer wasn’t good enough for Chris, but he knew his sister was hard headed and wouldn’t be forced into talking if she wasn’t ready. “Alright, Ashlyn,” he began, using her full name to convey how serious he was. “Can you at least go home and get some sleep, please? You look like shit.”

“Gee thanks,” she said with an eye roll and pulled her feet off the desk as she began flipping through some files to get herself a bit more organized.

Chris could sense that he was being dismissed and lazily stood. “At least get a good meal and some rest, Ashlyn,” he requested in a concerned tone before turning and walking towards the door of her office. He paused at the threshold and his fingers wrapped around the wood trim before glancing back. “How’s little Krieger doing?”

The name immediately brought Ashlyn’s attention back and her head snapped up. “Oh…uh…” she began stuttering before her thoughts settled. “He’s doing alright. Got a bout of nausea and was in some pain, but that’s expected.”

The larger Harris took in the information before nodding. “Good. I was going to stop in when I passed by just now, but the door was closed and I figured they might be resting. Maybe I’ll swing by after my rounds next Tuesday and check in on them.”

“Them?” Ashlyn questioned skeptically, easily catching on to the fact that Chris wasn’t just mentioning Tyler.

“Yes…” Chris replied slowly, his confusion to Ashlyn’s pointed response evident. “I’ve known Tyler and Ali for a little over a year,” he said, studying the blonde behind the desk carefully. “Am I not allowed to visit your patients anymore?”

The way her brother’s forehead was wrinkled and his voice laden with sarcasm quickly snapped Ashlyn out of her protective state. She knew they had a doctor patient relationship and Chris didn’t mean any harm. He knew the rules too. “Yeah, of course you can, Chris. Sorry. It’s just been a long day,” she responded quickly with a forced chuckle, rubbing her heavy eyelids for dramatic effect.

“No worries. Go home and get some sleep, Ash,” he said with a warm smile, rapping his knuckles on the door frame a few times before dropping his hand to his side and exiting the room.

A few minutes after her brother had left, Ashlyn finished roughly organizing her desk. She stacked up the file folders, sorting the patient files alphabetically on the left side while stacks of research cluttered the right side. After stuffing her laptop into her messenger bag, she tossed her lab coat on the hook beside the door and gently shut and locked the door behind her. She was almost to the elevator, when she heard a door open to her left.

“Fancy seeing you here,” came a soft voice from slightly behind her.

Ashlyn turned, her lips instinctively curling up into a small smile as she saw Ali pulling the door to Tyler’s room closed behind her. Ashlyn immediately noticed she had gotten a shower –her wet hair thrown up in a messy bun was evidence of that- and was wearing different clothes; a gray woven sweater that hung loosely off her shoulder and a pair of tight black leggings that ended just before a pair of ankle height boots. She chalked up her lingering gaze on the woman’s perfectly toned calves to the fact that she was appreciating that Ali had in fact gotten a shower and change of clothes which meant she was taking care of herself. “Just heading home for a bit actually,” she said, unable to force down a yawn that Ali quickly reciprocated. “I see you were able to get home and get cleaned up, Ms. Krieger.”

Ali nodded, crossing her arms. “That makes one of us,” she playfully challenged as she raised a brow at the obviously exhausted doctor.

Ashlyn quickly pushed the slight flutter in her chest, that Ali’s concern for her had caused, down and stilled her smile. “How’s Tyler feeling?” she asked, switching back to doctor mode as she leaned against the wall beside his closed door and crossed her arms.

“He’s tired and pretty sore,” Ali admitted, sadness evident in her voice. “I know he comes across as stubborn and not caring, but I know he’s scared and hurting.”

The raw honesty in the brunette’s confession stirred something in Ashlyn. She didn’t know their story and to be honest knew that it wasn’t her right to, but she couldn’t help as the words spilled from her mouth. “What happened between you?” Her own eyes went wide as she registered what she had just asked and quickly added, “No. Sorry. That was unprofessional. It’s none of my business.”

Ali thought the rambling doctor in front of her was pretty adorable, but she quickly put her out of her misery with a gentle hand on her arm. Both tried to ignore the warm sensation that rushed over them before the brunette withdrew her hand and met the blonde’s eyes. “It’s okay,” she said, flashing the blonde a reassuring smile. “It’s a long story though and I’d like my favorite doctor to get some sleep so she’s able to administer my son’s chemotherapy tomorrow morning. Go home and get some sleep, Dr. Harris.”

 _Favorite doctor?_ Ashlyn tried her hardest not to blush at Ali’s words, knowing she was really the only doctor she’d interacted with consistently. “I look that bad, huh?” she asked, feigning offense as she held her arms out wide and looked herself over teasingly.

“Just tired,” Ali said, withholding the _adorably_ she wanted to put before the word tired in her statement. She was about to add something else when the door creaked open.

“Alex, Tyler is asking for you.”

Ali turned and gave the man a smile, patting the hand he had placed on her shoulder gently. She was thankful that even though her son might still be upset with her, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to rely on her. “Okay. I was just going to grab a coffee, but I’ll be right in.” She turned back to Ashlyn who was pointing to the elevator, asking if she wanted her to run down and grab a coffee for her and bring it up. “It’s okay. Go get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Ashlyn relaxed her shoulders and pushed off the wall. It seemed her words kept tumbling out before her mind would actually process them. Offering to grab a late night coffee for a patient’s mother was _definitely_ not something she would normally do. She was kind to her patients, but always tried to keep the relationship professional. She needed to get out of there, to clear her head and process everything that had happened the last few days. “Goodnight, Ms. Krieger,” she said, her voice a confused mix of dismissal and warmth, masked behind a smile.

“Goodnight, Dr. Harris,” she trailed out as she watched the broad shoulders of the blonde doctor become smaller and smaller as she retreated down the hall.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited mystery man reveal! Let me know what you think ;)

It was just after noon when Ashlyn was finally able to take a minute to herself, wandering back into her office and shutting the door softly behind her. Her morning, which had come sooner than she would have liked, had been filled with rushing back and forth between rooms meeting with patients and their families as well as a staff meeting which she easily navigated through. One of the things that made Arnold Palmer one of the best pediatric oncology centers in Florida, and even within the whole country was her team. The several men and women that made up her team were top notch and she valued and respected their opinion, often hearing them out instead of simply trying to pull rank and have everything her way. To keep everyone in the loop, she help staff meetings twice a week, and while they were usually short and to the point, it was a great way for everyone to get on the same page and be made aware of any changes or important announcements.

She had just sat down and taken a sip of her coffee with her eyes trained on her desktop screen when there was a light knock on the door seconds before it swung open. “Hey, Whit,” she said without even looking up. Her best friend was the only one who wouldn’t wait for a response before knocking, besides her brother who wasn’t working at the hospital that day, and she didn’t mind. It was a habit that had formed when they lived together their last few years of med school. She had lost track of the amount of times Whit had burst into her room in college, collapsing on her bed to tell her about an impossible test she had likely just failed –even though she really scored a B+ on it- or a new boy she had met and totally thought was the one –even though Ashlyn knew he would never last, because they never did- or simply just to worm her way under the blonde’s covers while queuing up Netflix after a long night out drinking. “What’s up?” she asked, finally peeling her eyes away from her email to glance over at her friend who had just sank down into the arm chair before her desk with a huff.

“Tyler Krieger is having pretty bad nausea again,” she said cautiously, studying the blonde’s face for her reaction. “His mother said he just woke up complaining,” she added when Ashlyn’s expression remained unreadable.

The blonde sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Hmm,” she hummed, running her finger around the brim of the styrofoam cup containing her lifeline at the moment as she thought. “Did you give him a another dose of Emend?” she asked, not remembering from the morning which patient had gotten what. It was all written down, but she knew Whitney’s photographic-like memory could save her the time of looking it up. The shorter blonde nodded without any hesitation. “Alright well let’s try something a bit stronger. Up the dose just a bit and we’ll see if that helps take the edge off of it. If not we might have to try something else.”

Whitney nodded, but still didn’t get up.

“What?” Ashlyn asked as she brought her coffee up to her lips. “Do you have a better idea?”

She shook her head. “No I just thought you would want to go check on them is all,” she said casually, though they both knew it was anything but with her insinuation that Ash would want to check on someone else in addition to her patient. “She asked for you is all,” Whit added, trying to evoke some response from the obviously still exhausted doctor.

“She did?” Ashlyn asked in surprise. She tried to quell her excitement, but it was obvious she perked up a bit at Whitney’s admission.

A small grin crept across Whitney’s lips as she nodded. “She did originally. The nurse caught me in the hall first though so I checked on it. Your morning has been crazy and I knew you needed a minute. So…” she trailed off, as Ashlyn set her cup down in anticipation. “Want me to administer it, or do you want to go?”

“Um, you know what,” Ash began as she exited out of some files on her computer, “I have some time before my one o’clock meeting so I can do it unless you would rather.” She tried to sound nonchalant, but the slight eagerness in her voice could not be missed by her best friend. It was the same tone she would emit in response when Whit would suggest that maybe they get ice cream after a football game, or that they could go see the new horror movie over the chick flick they both knew Whit would prefer –as if she didn’t care either way.

That was all Whit needed to hear before popping up from her chair. “Great! I’m going to go grab some lunch then while you do that,” she said, not giving the blonde an out. She knew there was something between them and more than anything she just wanted Ash to actually explore what was there. The blonde would never act unprofessionally or jeopardize the care of her patient, but that didn’t mean that a friendship couldn’t eventually lead to more down the road. It also didn’t hurt that she had heard Ali on the phone in the hall with presumably a friend talking about the ‘hot, but really sweet tatted doctor’ Tyler had. “You need me to bring you anything from the cafeteria?” she asked.

“Could you grab me a turkey club and just leave it on my desk?” she replied while slipping her pressed, white lab coat over her navy blue button up.

“Sure thing,” Whit responded. “See ya later!” she added with a wave as they walked out of Ashlyn’s office and turned different directions in the hallway.

Ash walked slowly towards Tyler’s room trying to buy herself a tiny bit more time. With each step closer to the Krieger’s, she could feel her heart begin beating a bit faster. The night away from the hospital, far away from Ali and Tyler, had done little to help her sort out her feelings. Two nights before she had stayed up, restlessly tossing in bed thinking about Tyler Krieger’s treatment options and last night she had thankfully been able to fall asleep, but her dreams –the ones she could remember- all consisted of the brunette. They weren’t explicit, or even remotely romantic in nature, but the fact that she spent the night dreaming about her patient’s mother, of getting coffee together or buying her lunch again or even just sitting beside her watching one of Tyler’s soccer games, had her mind spinning. Sure her patients have had attractive mothers before, but this felt different. Nothing had even happened between them -spare a few short conversations- but it felt _real_. Like she could get coffee and at some point lean forward and brush the rogue drop off her lip with the pad of her thumb or _actually_ go to one of Tyler’s games and cheer for him and when Ali would slightly shiver, wrap her arm tightly around her and smile as the brunette curled tightly into her side.

Still, there were so many reasons that _couldn’t_ happen, so even though it felt real, she knew it never would be. The second she walked into the room to find Ali’s head resting on _his_ chest made that sentiment radiate even more soundly. She quickly shook the thoughts from her head, remembering exactly what her job was. No distractions would get in the way of that. “I hear you’re having a bit of stomach pain, bud?” she said as she rounded the bed after a curt nod to Ali.

“Yeah,” Tyler mumbled, his eyes barely able to open fully. He had undergone his second straight day of chemo and from his exhausted state and pale skin, she could tell it was hitting him hard. It seemed to be hitting him harder than some other patients and depending on the next round of tests results, she wondered if she might have to dial down his doses a bit. At least the two week recovery period between would give his body a little time to recover.

She held up the vile of nausea medicine she had procured after double checking the original dosage on his chart. “I think this will help a bit with that,” she said with a kind smile as she administered it into his IV. “It’s a slightly higher dose than before,” she added, directing her attention to the adults in the room since Tyler’s eyes were already closed again. “If this doesn’t help, we’ll try something else,” she added, wanting to keep them fully informed.

“And what if that next drug doesn’t work?” the man questioned, his eyes appearing exhausted as well. 

The blonde was used to this line of questioning from patient’s parents. The what if game that could be never ending. “Then we’ll try something else,” she offered with a patient smile as she watched Ali squeeze the man’s hand tightly.

“And what If that something else doesn’t work? He can’t just keep throwing up everything,” he challenged under his breath.

Ash was thankful that at least he appeared to care and wasn’t yelling his obvious displeasure with Tyler asleep in the room. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” she supplied, not wanting to play the never ending game. She had a meeting in a little bit anyways and she could tell the conversation was making Ali upset as well. He clearly had a more pessimistic mind set than her, always wondering what would happen when the current treatment failed.

“Typical answer,” he huffed and threw his hands up in annoyance before shaking his head.

“Stop,” Ali whispered, shooting him a glare.

“She has no answers, Alex. I want answers, real answers. This is Tyler we’re talking about!” he hissed before pushing up from the chair and storming out of the room. “Such bullshit,” he mumbled as he brushed past Ashlyn who fortunately stepped out of the way as he walked by and exited into the hallway.

Ashlyn wished he would have stayed so she could have reminded him that had he been there for Tyler’s original diagnosis and testing he would be much more informed, but she wasn’t able to get the words out before Ali’s voice broke through the silence that had befallen the room.

“I’m so sorry,” she stated with an apologetic glance towards the slightly shaken doctor.

“It’s okay,” Ashlyn said, waving it off since she didn’t want Ali to pay for his mistakes.

The brunette shook her head and stood from her chair, taking a few steps towards the blonde who was anxiously biting her lip. “It’s not okay. He just…he gets really protective of Tyler,” she supplied as if that should explain it all away.

“It’s understandable for a father to be protective of his son, Ms. Krieger,” she replied and forced a smile on her lips. It wasn’t okay for that protectiveness to turn into rudeness, but again that wasn’t something Ali needed to deal with at the moment.

“Father?” Ali snorted, her eyebrows knitting together as she let out another laugh. “Kyle is my brother. Tyler's uncle,” she quickly clarified, noting how the blonde’s cheeks instantly flushed a deep red as she dropped her eyes to the floor.

The blonde was stunned. She really shouldn’t have been, Ali was wearing no ring, but still there were so many situations she had obviously misread. If Kyle was protective of Tyler, he was obviously protective of Ali as well which explained his ribbing her about buying Ali lunch. “Oh. I’m sorry for assuming,” she chuckled, finally lifting her eyes to see Ali’s amused grin.

“I can see where you got it from,” Ali admitted with a shrug. “Tyler’s father isn’t in the picture so Kyle’s really all he has in that sense.”

Ashlyn took the information in, but kept the smile from her lips that she felt inside. “Well Tyler’s lucky to have you both,” she supplied, her lips curling up the slightest bit.

“He’s lucky to have you too, Dr. Harris,” Ali replied, suddenly a bit bashful as she looked up at Ashlyn through her eyelashes.

“Please. Call me, Ashlyn,” the blonde quickly corrected her with a warm smile. Just then her pager went off and a quick glance down let her know she needed to leave right away. She gestured towards the door and Ali nodded. “I’ll come check on Tyler later around dinner time,” she said before rushing out the door.

“See you later, Ashlyn,” Ali said in a hushed whisper, loving how the blonde’s name sounded rolling off her tongue.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my brief MIA. Lots going on these days. As requested... Here's more Kelley and FINALLY some of Ali and Tyler's backstory is revealed.

A few hours later, a soft knock on the door pulled Ali from her restless sleep. Kyle had gone back to her house for a shower and to get a bite to eat and she was using the time Tyler slept to catch up on some of hers as well. Unfortunately, she wasn’t actually able to fall into a meaningful sleep, mostly just tossing and turning while trying to will her brain to shut off. Lifting her head from the back of the plush recliner in the corner of his room, she whispered, “Come in.” Her voice was low in an attempt to not wake Tyler and her heart fluttered after a glance to the clock told her it was around dinner time and a certain blonde doctor would be coming to check up on them…him.

The smile slipped off her lips, but only for a second when a freckle faced head poked into the room. “Is it okay if I come in?” whispered the woman from Tyler’s soccer practice, Kelley if Ali remembered correctly.

She stepped further into the room when Ali nodded and waved her in. “Not who you were expecting, huh?” she asked, studying the other brunette’s expression as she came around the bed with her arms extended.

Unsure if it was the way her smile had initially slipped off her face or the way her face was still etched in confusion that caused her question, she simply leaned into the hug Kelley extended. She let her body sink into the other woman’s and the fact that she hated hugs and that this woman was essentially a stranger slipped from her mind as two strong arms encircled her torso and squeezed her tightly in a warm embrace. Finally pulling back, Kelley kept her hands wrapped lightly around Ali’s biceps as she studied her.

“How are you holding up?” she asked, gesturing for the defender to reclaim her spot on the recliner as she sat down on a padded chair to the side.

“I…I’m alright,” Ali began, still confused how Kelley knew where they were or what was going on. “I uh…” she studied her with narrowed eyes until she held up a hand to quiet her.

“My wife is a cop,” she offered, which only served to increase Ali’s confusion. The lavish outfits and expensive jewelry certainly didn’t scream ‘police officer’s salary’. Picking up on the confusion, Kelley elaborated. “And I am a Senior VP at Disney,” she said with an accompanying shrug.

“Disney as in Disney World?” Ali asked, the shock in her voice apparent. Kelley simply nodded.

“I had her ask around to see where Tyler was taken and to keep me updated when he was released. When I heard he hadn’t been yet…well…I got worried and wanted to check in on you both. Brady was asking about Tyler too,” she added, her voice laced with concern as she toyed with the hem of her tight black dress. It was obvious she had just come from work with her light pink blazer and black pumps and Ali could only imagine the hours that a Senior VP at a company put in. It made the fact that she had stopped by even more heartwarming. Kelley took Ali’s prolonged silence as something else and quickly elaborated. “If you…if you don’t want me here or don’t want to talk about it, I can totally leave too,” she said, pointing towards the door and the authenticity of her statement was apparent. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot I just…” she continued to ramble on before Ali quickly put her out of her misery.

“No, no,” she interjected with a warm, appreciate smile as she gently set her hand on the woman’s forearm to quiet her. “I appreciate you stopping by. I do. It’s…very sweet of you,” she added sincerely, letting her defensiveness drop. “It’s been a stressful few days.” She pointed towards the door and Kelley caught on to the suggestion, quickly rising from her chair to follow Ali towards the door.

Once outside, Ali tugged the door shut behind her and let out an exasperated sigh. “He has…leukemia…” Ali confessed, her voice low and weak as she could barely bring herself to say it out loud. It seemed like no matter how many times she said it, it never got any easier. “They started him on chemo right away and he’ll be here in between cycles as well since his immune system is so weakened.”

“Oh, Ali,” Kelley replied, her eyes glistening the slightest bit as she pulled her into another hug. “I’m so sorry.”

For a moment, Ali just allowed Kelley to hold her. It had been a while since she had a friend outside of soccer, never being able to really trust that someone wasn’t just in it for the fame. Her childhood friends that she trusted implicitly were back in D.C. and since it was NWSL offseason, most players were back home with their families or playing overseas in Australia or Europe. Sure Kyle had flown in and her mother would be filling in when he had to fly back to California in a few days, but it wasn’t quite the same. She had confided in a few of her closest friends on the National Team, but refused to let them put their own lives on hold to fly in and be with her. The season had just ended a few weeks ago and she wanted them to enjoy their time off before USWNT camps started up again. It felt good to be held, to know that someone was in her corner. Even though she barely knew the woman, Kelley didn’t feel like a stranger and it was oddly comforting.

“Thank you for coming, Kelley. I really appreciate it. I could use a friend right now,” she sheepishly admitted. Ali Krieger, beautiful, famous and adored Ali Krieger, was lonely. Constantly surrounded by fans and people who couldn’t get enough of her didn’t do much to salve her loneliness and besides Kyle she had yet to admit that to anyone.

Kelley pulled back from the hug and smiled. She recalled reading in some interview once that Ali Krieger hated hugs, which made her statement appear even more honest. “Well I’ll have you know I’m a pretty good friend to have,” she said with a wide smile, leaning closer and fake-whispering, “Free…Disney…Passes.”

A soft laugh erupted from Ali’s chest as she guided Kelley to a few padded chairs stashed away in a corner of the hallway. A large picture window sat behind them looking out onto the busy parking lot which was packed with cars glimmering in the setting Orlando sun. “Oh Tyler would definitely love that,” she chuckle before sinking down into the chair next to Kelley.

“How’s he doing?” Kelley asked, bringing the conversation back to a bit more serious place.

Ali shrugged and let out a sigh. “He’s nauseous a lot and has been complaining of pain. He mostly just sleeps and is getting pretty bored of cartoons.”

“Is he staying positive?”

This question caused Ali to pause for a moment, her fingers running over the seam of her sweatshirt as she thought. How much could she actually tell this woman? The media luckily hadn’t caught onto it since her publicist went into overdrive after the event, and while her bank account took a slight hit for buying a few people off it thankfully hadn’t gotten out to the public. “He’s…he…wasn’t necessarily in a good place before this,” she began. “ _We_ weren’t in a good place either. He pretty much hates me,” she admitted, dropping her eyes down to the floor.

“Typical boy getting mad you guys had to move to Orlando since you were traded last year?” Kelley said with a chuckle which died in her throat when she caught the way Ali flinched. There was more to it than that, but knew she didn’t want to pry too much. Just as she needed to be protective of her own personal life due to her high status, she knew the professional athlete deserved the same courtesy.

“Not quite,” Ali out behind a cold laugh. “He actually loved the move. Definitely my little beach baby,” she said with a contemplative smile as her mind drifted back to their trips to the beach. She would have to practically drag Tyler out of the ocean those days as he begged her repeatedly to get him surfing lessons so he could be a ‘cool surfer dude’ as he liked to call them. His hands and feet would be pruny as he threw out the shaka sign to the surfers as they rode in to call it a day.

“I see,” Kelley replied, her voice trailing off as if she anticipated more, without actually pushing Ali to keep talking.

The brunette dropped her head back down as the smile fell from her lips. “At his last school in Orlando, I…I was sort of having a relationship with Amber, one of his teachers for about six months,” she began, her voice shaking as she recalled the events and how they unfolded between her and Amber. “I wasn’t out though and didn’t want to be public with our relationship yet, nor did she.” She looked up, expecting to see a disgusted look on Kelley’s face, but she was simply sitting there patiently waiting for more. “Anyways one day at the end of the school year, right before I left for the Olympics…I was…I was visiting her at work while Tyler was at soccer practice and well…someone caught us...uh…” she coughed into her fist, without finishing, but Kelley easily picked up on what she meant.

“Student or an adult?” the wide-eyed Disney executive questioned.

“A few students ran by in the hall when we were kissing against her desk,” she admitted. “We didn’t even know anyone had seen us until I got a call from Tyler’s school the next week.”

“Uh oh,” Kelley said with a grimace.

Ali just nodded and leaned back in the chair. “Just wait,” she said, holding up a finger in the air signaling it was about to get worse. “As you likely know, I'm not out to the public. Well, those few boys ruthlessly teased him about it the whole week. They had spread it around the school and everyone was making comments to him, writing him mean notes and they even ganged up on him and tossed him in the dumpster the one day. These boys were telling him nasty things and calling me horrible names that no seven year old should ever have to hear about his mother, until Tyler finally couldn’t take it and swung at the boy closest to him. He got into a fight with the three boys and beat two of the kids up pretty bad before the other ran away and called the principal. Tyler was expelled, but thankfully, I was able to convince the boys’ parents not to press charges. Although it took fucking free passes to the Olympics for their whole families to pull that one off," she finished with a cringe, her jaw clenched tight. 

“Wow,” Kelley whispered, wondering how that story had stayed out of the papers, especially when it occurred right around the Olympics.

"Yeah..." Ali's voice trailed off. "One of the boys lived in our neighborhood and he and his friends kept messing with Tyler even after that. They would pick on him and rough him up and the cops didn't want to hear it and just claimed that 'boys will be boys'." She watched as Kelley shook her head and instant regret washed over her as she hoped the woman's wife didn't work in the specific department. "Eventually after some unfortunate graphics were painted on my driveway, I decided it best we move to the other side of the city. Tyler was furious, blaming me for everything and of course what else could I expect?" she said with a shrug. "He was happy there with a lot of friends and I ruined it all. He was completely humiliated and just..he still hasn't completely forgiven me."

A silence hung between them for a moment before Ali decided she might as well finish the story she had started. “They…they also fired Amber for inappropriate conduct in the school and she in turn panicked and tried to extort me for money after she lost her job. She claimed she would go public with everything. Photos and textsof us, and even the stuff with Tyler beating up those kids and getting expelled.”

“Oh my god,” Kelley said, her hand quickly going to her mouth as she saw the defender’s eyes gloss over. It was obvious that Ali had cared deeply for this woman and that trust, along with her heart, had been completely shattered. “She didn’t?”

“Oh she did,” Ali hummed, nodding her head sadly for effect. “I paid her what she wanted, but really I was just heartbroken that she would do that. She had seemed so different than all the others.”

Kelley bit the inside of her cheek and watched as Ali wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. She reached out and covered her hand with her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. “There are bad people out there,” she stated honestly while looking deep into the defender’s cinnamon irises. “Lords knows we can’t hide from all of them, but hopefully the good people outweigh the bad, right?” she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Right,” Ali breathed out with a genuine smile as she felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. It was the first time she had told the story to anyone besides her agent and family members and it felt oddly liberating. There was no judgment housed in the freckle faced woman’s eyes and she felt an overwhelming sense of trust in her. “I could definitely use a few good people to tip the scales back in my favor,” she said honestly with a hint of innocence, dipping her eyes from Kelley’s gaze.

“It’s settled then,” Kelley replied, slapping her knee excitedly. “When Tyler’s feeling a bit better, we’ll bring Brady by to visit and I’d really like you to meet my wife, Ann, as well.”

Her frankness took Ali by surprise, but knew the woman must be a mover if she had worked her way up to become a VP at Disney. “Tyler’s treatments stop tomorrow so maybe if he feels a bit better in a few days, you could all come visit?” she asked, still unsure that Kelley really meant it all.

The woman pulled a card out of her purse scribbled a number on it before pushing it into Ali’s hand. “Here’s my card. You just let us know whenever he’s feeling better. We’ll bring some crappy, greasy food for you too to wash out the taste of nasty hospital food from your mouth,” she added with a sly grin.

“Perfect,” Ali chuckled as she heard someone shuffling down the hall. She turned and when her eyes locked with the blonde doctor’s her face instantly lit up. “Dr. Harris,” she said with a grin that she tampered a bit.

“I thought we agreed on Ashlyn?” the doctor retorted with a crooked smirk as she wrapped her fingers around the handle of Tyler’s door. “Is it alright if I check on him?” she asked.

Ali immediately stood and nodded. “Of course. I’ll be right in,” she said and then turned to Kelley who was already standing as well.

As Ashlyn slipped into the room, shutting the door behind her, Kelley eyed the defender, a soft chuckle leaving her lips.

“What?” Ali asked, turning to see what Kelley found so funny.

She pointed to the room where Ashlyn had just disappeared into. “Now I see why your smile dropped when it was just me that walked into the room," she giggled, wagging her eyebrows a bit which just made Ali scoff and wave her off.

“Please. She’s Tyler’s doctor. I don’t even know if she’s single, or gay for that matter. And I’m in no place for that right now.”

“Well she’s hot,” Kelley said with a simplistic shrug as if that should dismiss all of Ali’s rambling excuses. “And obviously cares about your son so that’s a plus.”

“Kelley,” Ali said, leveling her serious gaze to silence the other woman.

She threw her hands up in the air in defense and jokingly took a step back. “Just saying,” she grinned with a lazy smile. “Anyways, go get back to Tyler. I just wanted to check in. You’ve got my number so text or call me anytime, alright?”

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows raised to show her seriousness and Ali nodded in understanding. “I will. Thanks again for stopping by,” she said with an appreciative expression.

After one more quick hug, the shorter woman pulled away and headed for the elevator as Ali slipped quietly back into the room where Ashlyn was having a brief conversation with Tyler. “You surf?” she heard her son ask in awe as she watched the blonde nod in response. “Sure do, TJ,” she replied with a wink, throwing up the shaka sign which he quickly returned with a goofy grin.

“TJ…” he sat up and thought for a minute. Clearly this doctor was cool enough to surf and he knew a lot of professional surfers went by the nickname. “My mom hates when people call me nicknames, but I like it,” he giggled as the blonde just smiled and sank into the leather rolling stool beside his bed.

“It’ll be our little secret, bud. Don’t tell your mom,” she whispered jokingly, but immediately froze when she heard a throat clear behind her.

“Don’t tell me what?” Ali questioned in a playfully challenging tone as she shut the door behind her and made her way into the room, chuckling as both Ashlyn and her son squeaked ‘nothing’ before ducking their heads in a fit of conspicuous giggles. She rolled her eyes, but was secretly glad that at least someone was able to make her son smile, knowing they would be few and far between during this trying battle they were fighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So is what happened between Ali and Tyler better or worse than y'all thought?


	12. Chapter 12

“He sleeping?” came a soft voice from the doorway and in the slight flickering light from the TV Ali nodded to the doctor who stood at the threshold. She stood from her chair, shifting the blanket so that it was solely draped over her brother and took a few steps towards the door, pulling it open just a bit more.

“Hey, Ashlyn,” she said as she rubbed her tired eyes. She had been drifting in and out of sleep as Kyle watched TV on the small screen which hung on the wall opposite Tyler’s bed. It was just a little after 9pm and she was wondering if Dr. Harris ever went home. “Shouldn’t you be home or something?” she asked with mild concern.

The blonde just shrugged as she leaned against the doorframe on her forearm. She had come to check up on Tyler who had been in quite a bit of discomfort earlier, but was glad that he seemed to be resting peacefully at the moment. His body was really struggling with the chemotherapy. She could only hope in the end it would be worth it when they ran another CBC. “The glorious life of a doctor,” she chuckled. “I had a bit of paperwork to catch up on she offered. Haven’t even eaten yet,” she added mindlessly as she quickly realized she actually had only eaten a bagel all day.

“Me either,” Ali confessed. She felt a bit embarrassed after promising the blonde just the prior day that she would take better care of her body. A few bites of toast and the side salad Tyler had refused to eat for his lunch wasn’t exactly adequate to fuel a professional athlete’s body, especially since she would need to start working out again soon and she knew her trainers wouldn’t take it easy. “Want to…grab something quick?” she asked, nodding towards the elevator as she tried to ignore the way the blonde’s eyes appeared to light up the slightest bit. Kelley’s earlier statement was still settling in her mind.

“Oh uh…” Ashlyn began stumbling over her words. She had had her mind set on Chinese takeout all day, but the chance to talk to the brunette wasn’t something she wanted to pass up either. Takeout can always occur another day. “Sure.” She quickly recovered and walked beside Ali towards the elevator.

They talked about casual things as they waited for their food, how nice the weather had been, how awful the Jags, Bucks and Dolphins were playing and the hurricane that had rolled through the prior month. Ali had thankfully been visiting family up North, while Ashlyn had actually gotten stuck at the hospital for a few days in a row, refusing to leave her patients as the storm raged on. Once Ali had purchased her Turkey and Swiss sub and Ashlyn had bought her penne vodka from the pasta station, they settled in at a table along the wall of windows across from each other.

“So professional soccer player, huh?” Ashlyn questioned, bringing up Ali’s profession for the first time once Whitney had connected all the dots for her. She noted the way the brunette seemed slightly embarrassed and found it endearing. Ali Krieger was certainly not the type who abused their fame status.

“Yeah. You might have seen me on TV this summer. You know….winning a gold medal at the Olympics and all,” she teased, though her expression and tone was void of any cockiness.

Ashlyn chuckled before shoveling a bite of pasta into her mouth and shaking her head. “So I’m dining with an Olympic Gold Medalist, huh?” she teased, her eyes glistening a bit in the light hanging over their heads. “That’s not something many people can say.”

“First time for everything, Ashlyn,” Ali quipped with a raised eyebrow for she too bit into her sandwich.

The blonde smiled, enjoying the light banter that seemed to come so easily between them. They talked back and forth, food slightly forgotten for a moment in time. Ali shared some stories of her time in Germany while Ashlyn informed her that med school was in fact as awful as it seemed. Each was simply glad to have an outside party to talk to. All of Ali’s friends constantly asked about Tyler and how he was doing and how she was doing. It was nice that they cared so deeply, but now, in the hospital cafeteria, talking with her son’s oncologist, was the closest Ali had felt to normal since he had been admitted. While her family and friends tried to beat around the bush and ignore happy topics thinking it would upset her further, it’s what Ali was longing for. The same could be said for Ashlyn who was happy to be talking to someone about something other than patient cases and recent research studies.

A silence fell over them as Ali’s stomach let out a loud gurgle and they turned their attention back to the food before them. Both enjoyed their meal in each other’s presence and while neither was talking at the moment, it still felt comfortable. Finally, Ashlyn finished up her meal and broke through the silence.

“I hope it’s okay that I called him TJ earlier,” Ashlyn sheepishly stated, leaving the question hanging in the air as she dropped her plastic fork into the take out container.

Ali had shrugged and forced down a yawn while she wrinkled up her paper sub wrapper and set it on the blonde’s tray. “It’s really okay,” she reassured with a tired smile. “I’m honestly more embarrassed that you know his middle name since I’ve had to scold him so much for cursing,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing a bit. “At this point anything that gets him to smile is pretty much alright in my book,” she added with a sarcastic laugh that made the blonde’s heart clench just a bit.

“He really does love you,” Ashlyn replied quickly, before thinking about any boundaries she’d be leaping over.

The brunette’s head jerked up to meet her eyes, her eyebrows knitted together as she fiddled with the leather strap of her purse sitting beside her. “Excuse me?” Ali inquired, the defensive walls that Kelley had brought down earlier immediately erecting themselves again. Who was this doctor insinuating that there was doubt in her mind of her son’s love in the first place? She pursed her lips and watched as the blonde immediately regretted the words that had ebbed out.

“Well I just…I can see him pull away from you sometimes...” she began, seeing hurt flair through the brunette’s eyes. “It’s a normal reaction for kids undergoing this. They can try to distance themselves a bit from loved ones.” She could see Ali’s face tightening in anger, but kept trying her explanation in an attempt to ease Ali’s suffering. “And I mean he’s in some pain with the chemo and children can be short with their parents or caregivers in these situations.” It didn’t take a genius to understand that her explanations were only making the brunette more upset and she clamped her mouth shut realizing that her attempts to soothe the brunette had done anything but. Before she could get another word out, Ali had stood and grabbed her sandwich wrapper from the blonde’s tray.

“You don’t know the first thing about, Tyler. Or me for that matter,” Ali hissed, refraining from pointing a finger at the blonde so as not to draw any attention to their slight argument. She knew she was being harsh on the doctor who was obviously only trying to help, but the wounds had been reopened, ripped wide open again when she had poured her heart out to Kelley just hours ago. 

It was if the blonde was purposely pouring salt into it, and even if packing an open wound with salt would actually make it better in the long run, the brief increase in the intensity of the pain was unmistakable. By trying to help, Ashlyn was hurting her and couldn’t seem to grasp that concept. Shouldn’t a doctor be more aware when it came to assessing if someone was in pain? Maybe she had been asking for it by inviting the blonde, _Tyler’s doctor_ , to dinner. She knew there was probably some line they were teetering on by engaging in something that friends would. Was she openly inviting the blonde’s opinion and perceptions on her son and her relationship? Doctors see broken things and want to put them back together. Maybe that’s all the blonde was interested in; a damaged mother who so desperately wants her son to fall back into her arms. But that wasn’t something a _doctor_ , at least not of her specialty, could weigh in on and she was stiffly reminded of the true nature of their relationship when the blonde’s pager began beeping. Tears were threatening to spill out at this point and the last thing Ali wanted was for anyone else to see her cry that day. She crinkled the wrapper in her fist and let out a frustrated sigh while leveling their gaze. “Thanks for grabbing dinner with me, Dr. Harris,” she said in a curt tone, reminding Ashlyn the exact nature of their relationship before turning and tossing the wrapper in the trash bin beside her. “Have a good night,” she turned and added with a polite smile as she made her way back to her son’s bedside, passing by the Pediatric Oncology sign that hung on the wall, a picture of a grinning Dr. Ashlyn Harris just below it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long! Things have been a bit hectic and I haven't had as much time to bust out some chapters. This week should be more regular updates! Thanks for sticking around. Hope you all had a fabulous weekend :)

It was shortly after nine in the morning when Ashlyn wandered into the room with Dr. Engen by her side. They’re mid-conversation about something unrelated to Tyler’s case when they finally crossed over the threshold into the room.

“Morning, Ali, Kyle,” she said with a nod to the siblings sitting beside each other in the two chairs beside Tyler’s bed. Her voice was completely monotone before she turned her attention to Tyler who was looking much paler than when she had last checked in on him the prior day and offered him a big grin. “What’s shaking, TJ?” she asked, giving him a soft fist bump. “How you doing this morning?”

Though Ali initially felt hurt by the cold shoulder she was receiving from the blonde, she knew it was of her own making. She had lashed out at the doctor the night before at dinner and quickly reestablished the nature of their relationship with her dismissal. Seeing the blonde interact with her son though and the way the ends of Tyler’s lips turned up into the tiniest smile even though he tried to fight it around the goofy doctor, sent a wave of warmth washing over her. 

The two bantered back and forth slightly and while Ali knew her son was hurting, she was happy to sit back and watch them, smiling when Kyle interjected with a joke or two of his own. It was odd, she thought, as she sat back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. It was almost as if she was watching the scene unfold behind a double mirror, able to see everything happening without being a part of it. As she watched her son and brother joke around with the doctor who stirred something in her that she couldn’t quite explain, it almost became too much for her.

“So I know these treatments stink, but today is your last one for two weeks,” she said with a big smile, proud of how well he had handled the first cycle thus far.

“Promise?” he whispered sadly, his voice cracking. He was tired, weak and hurting and wanted more than anything for the treatments to stop. He wanted to actually sleep peacefully, to not feel like the nerves in his body were attempting to fuse together or to actually be able to eat food and keep it down.

This obviously wasn’t the first time a child had all but begged for the treatments to stop, but that doesn’t mean it ever got any easier. “Pinky promise, bud,” she said, holding out her pinky finger towards the little boy. Tyler took it with a weak smile and then nodded, telling her he was ready.

After hooking up the bag to the IV drip, the blonde gave Tyler’s knee a light squeeze. “I’ve got the same nausea medicine in there as last time,” she said, first to Tyler, then turning to address Ali and Kyle. “It seemed to work better yesterday so we’ll stick with it for now. Obviously if there’s any change today, please don’t hesitate to let the nurses know.” She softened up a bit as she continued through a few more talking points, realizing that it was unprofessional to be cold towards a patient’s mother even if she was slightly hurt. Still, she remained professional and on task, not straying from it even as she turned to discuss a few things with Whitney.

“Dr. Engen will be here working with you today,” she explained. She watched Ali and Kyle nod in understanding and then turned again to Tyler. “Dr. Engen is a pretty cool doctor too, so be nice to her for me, okay?” she asked, a teasing glint in her eyes. Tyler pouted a bit, not wanting yet another doctor. Catching onto his apprehension she squatted down so that their faces were almost at the same level. "Listen, bud,” she began, whispering loud enough so that everyone could still hear them. “You and I both know that I’m the best doctor at this hospital,” she started, waiting for him to catch on to where she was going. “But it’s important to make everyone feel important, right?” He nodded in understanding, but there was still some confusion splashed across his face. “So we want to make Dr. Engen feel good and be nice to her, right?” she asked, ignoring how Whitney rolled her eyes at the older doctor’s playfulness. A grin swept across Tyler’s lips and he nodded weakly, but as best he could. “That a boy,” Ashlyn replied and ruffled his hair lightly as he let out a soft chuckle.

After Whitney finished recording the boy’s vitals onto his chart she turned to Ali with arguably a bigger smile than the blonde had been wearing when speaking to her that morning. “If he needs anything, please let me know, okay?” she asked, and Ali simply nodded in understanding, fighting the annoyance that Ashlyn was shoving them off to someone else on her team. She watched the two doctors walk out of the room side by side, her eyes narrowing at the blonde’s back until she felt a nudge beside her.

“What the hell was that?” Kyle whispered under his breath, nodding towards the door so they could have a word in private. “We’ll be right back, Ty. Just snagging a coffee from the nurse’s station,” he added with a wink. He grabbed Ali’s hand and dragged her out the door, pulling it closed, but not all the way.

“What?” Ali shrugged as she feigned innocence.

“Uh, why was hot doctor so cold to you today?” he asked quietly, his eyebrows scrunching together. “Didn’t you two grab dinner yesterday?’

Ali just sighed and leaned back against the wall across the hall from Tyler’s room. “It just…I don’t know, Kyle. It got weird.”

“How so?” Kyle asked, closing the gap between them. He had gotten used to seeing Ali smiley and cheery whenever the doctor had come in and this was a stark difference. While Ashlyn remained professional and was still great with Tyler, he could tell that something was off between them. Ali had come back from their dinner a bit moody, but shrugged it off as being tired and he hadn’t decided to push her on it. Seeing the interaction between the two just now though, he knew there was something off.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she groaned, diverting her eyes to the floor.

Kyle wasn’t buying it though. He gently lifted her chin up and leveled their gaze again. “What happened, Alex?”

“She just…she stirred up some stuff that I wasn’t ready to deal with. Okay?” she huffed, throwing her arms up in the air. “She started listing off all these reasons about why Tyler could be acting cold and distant towards me and I just…I just wasn’t ready to get into all of that. She knows nothing about us or our relationship.”

Kyle listened to his sister’s rambling, trying to keep an open mind. The truth was, he liked Ashlyn. She was great with Tyler and anyone that could make his sister smile and blush was definitely someone he didn’t mind having around. Obviously they weren’t planning on jumping into an intimate relationship, but he knew that Ali needed all the support she could get, especially since he would be heading back to Los Angeles in a couple days. Their mother would be coming in for the next round of chemo in a couple weeks, but he knew the time between would drag on. “Alex, she was trying to help. She cares about you…and Tyler,” he said, his tone suggesting something deeper than just a doctor misreading a situation and trying to butt in.

“Kyle, she just wants to fix me. She’s a doctor and that’s what she does. It’s in her nature and there’s nothing more to it. And obviously she’s not a very professional doctor if she’s just going to push Tyler off to someone else on her team because we had a disagreement. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go have a word with her.” She was angry, and her tone displayed that even though her voice was soft. Tyler seemed to get along well great with the doctor and she didn’t want anything between them affecting her son’s opinion of the woman.

“Alex, wait,” Kyle called out, trying to stop her, but it was too late. She was already storming down the hall towards Dr. Harris’s office like a woman on a mission. “Good luck, Harris,” he mumbled to himself as he grabbed two cups of coffee from the nurse’s station, knowing how heated Ali could get when it came to protecting Tyler.

Ashlyn had just sat down behind her desk with a file in her hand when there was knock on her doorframe. Figuring it was one of her staff, she called them in without looking up, not realizing her mistake until she heard a throat clear and lifted her eyes from the paper clutched in her hand. “Ms. Krieger,” she nodded, trying to hide the slight shock she felt that the brunette had just come into her office. “Can I help-“ she began but was immediately cut off.

“You can’t do this to him,” Ali said, her voice firm and commanding.

“I’m sorry,” Ashlyn responded and shook her head in confusion. “Can’t do what?”

“Drop Tyler like that. He…he likes you. He wants you as his doctor. I’m not saying Dr. Engen is unqualified, but you promised us it would be you.”

Ashlyn took a deep breath and dropped the papers to the desk. She leaned back in her chair and gestured for Ali to sit down which she poignantly ignored. “Ms. Krieger, Dr. Engen is simply filling in for me tonight. If you must know, I have a family engagement and I will be back tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Ali said, her voice noticeably weaker as she studied the blonde for a moment.

“Is that the only reason you came in here?” Ashlyn further prodded, sensing there was something else the brunette needed to get off her chest.

Ali let out a deep breath as she fiddled with a stray hair. “I also…I don’t think it’s necessary for you to be so cold towards me,” she said, this time her voice much quieter.

“I’m acting as a doctor would with any other patient’s parent. You made it very clear last night that was what you wanted, did you not?” the blonde replied simply with an even tone. She needed to be professional above all else and honestly couldn’t let any feelings she might have for the brunette flow into Tyler’s care.

The words caught Ali off guard. It _was_ what she had insinuated last night when she dismissed her as Dr. Harris and if things were already this complicated after a few days, is this really something that could progress any further? Tyler was her number one priority and after what happened months back between her and Amber, she knew her heart couldn’t handle the hurt again, especially not with everything going on with Tyler. “You’re right,” she said, her voice matching Ashlyn’s firm tone. “I just, I wanted to let you know that I was sorry for lashing out on you last night. Everything with Tyler and I…it’s…” she began, biting her bottom lip as thoughts and memories flooded into her mind. She felt so comfortable with the blonde, like she could withstand that flood and still be standing afterwards. But this was exactly what had gotten them into the tiff this morning and while she wanted a cordial relationship with her, that’s where she knew she needed to draw the line. “It’s complicated, is all,” she finished quickly, hoping the blonde didn’t pick up on her hesitation.

She had picked up on it, but knew not to press Ali. “I understand. It wasn’t my place to interject,” she confessed, taking her share of the blame. “My job is to get Tyler better. And that’s what I’m going to do.”

There was a sense of finality behind her words, but Ali knew a healthy Tyler was her number one goal as well. “Okay,” she agreed, nodding before she uncrossed her arms and let them hang loosely at her side. “Have a good day, Doctor,” she added, instantly hating the formality of it all even though she knew it was necessary.

“You too, Ms. Krieger," she replied with a polite smile.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some sadness. Some cute Ash & Tyler. Some ice thawing. Sorry in advance for the slow burn lol

Ali remembers a few days in her life very vividly. There’s the day her parents announced they were getting a divorce and she was so upset that she punched a hole in her bedroom wall that remained undiscovered and covered by a Mia Hamm poster for years to come. Her knuckles were bruised for almost a week, the color just starting to fade when the small scabs fell off. Then there’s the day she broke her leg at Penn State and suffered a series of mini heart attacks that almost ended her life, completely shocking her while simultaneously altering her outlook on life. The scar stretching down her shin reminds her of that trying moment. She remembers her first national team cap, and the first hit that she took from the strong German forward, sending her tumbling onto the ground. “Welcome to the big leagues,” Christie Rampone had yelled at her with a smirk once the ball had been cleared back down the field and Ali had a massive bruise on her hips for weeks after. Then she tore her ACL in Olympic Qualifiers and again she wasn’t sure if the physical or emotional pain was more severe. Sure her knee had been shredded, ripped completely in two, but the fear of knowing she wasn’t going to make it back, surely that increased the intensity of her screams rippling through the silenced stadium.

Looking back, she realized that her most vivid emotional memories are simultaneously linked to physical pain. Her fist, her leg, her hip, her knee. She had always thought that’s what made them so lucid, the two pronged attack that fused itself into every lobe of her brain. But now, as she sat before her son’s bed watching him writhe in pain, she struggled to think that there will be any other memory in her lifetime that she remembers more than this. And it’s not that she’s in physical pain, but surely watching her son experience it had to be worse. It was exponentially worse. There was a burning desire bubbling inside of her that _she_ be the one in the bed while her son runs around and enjoys a normal childhood. Forget soccer, forget the sponsorships –though her agent, before she promptly fired him, would later tell her she could definitely capitalize off of the ‘story’- and forget traveling around the world to secure another World Cup or Olympic Medal. None of that was worth one second of watching Tyler’s body attack itself and rebel against the chemotherapy.

The nausea and lack of appetite over the first few days was one thing, giving him anti-nausea medication and an IV drip for fluids. Then the slight aches, that made his legs feel like they were being squeezed, were able to be managed with some mild pain medication. This though, the fiery, stabbing sensation in his legs that Dr. Harris had explained as temporary nerve damage, was something of another beast.

“It hurts, mommy,” he whispered, squeezing her hand tightly as she gently stroked his hair while trying to ignore that fact that a few stands were falling out of his head as she did.

Kyle squeezed Ali’s shoulder in support as she tried to keep her emotions in check. “I know, baby,” she whispered, continuing to run her hands through his hair in a calming manner. “You’re my big strong boy though.” Her heart felt like it was being constricted. Two days after the first few chemo treatments, his side effects hadn’t subsided. In fact, they seemed to be getting worse. She had thought that this two week recovery period would give Tyler a break from the pain, that he would be able to get out a bit and maybe even go for a short walk in the courtyard of the hospital or play some video games in the children’s playroom down the hall. She had seen numerous little boys and girls playing in there and while she obviously wished they weren’t there to begin with, she hoped he could have made the best of the situation.

“How are we doing in here?” came a voice from the door shortly following a knock. Ali lifted her eyes as the doctor strolled in. Her white lab coat hung open, revealing a charcoal gray button up that clung closely to her lean frame. As she looked over at the blonde, she felt nothing. Her insides felt hollow and she knew that while she shouldn’t blame her for the way Tyler was feeling, she couldn’t help the slight skepticism she was having that maybe they had been too aggressive with the first round of treatments. Would another doctor have chosen the same path? Did she get fooled by the pretty smile and cute dimple when the blonde had firmly stated that she was the best doctor in the state? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that her son was in pain and nothing was helping to manage that. “Not good,” she said. There was a slight edge in her voice as she gestured to the boy who was obviously in pain.

Ashlyn took a few steps into the room so that she was by the edge of Tyler’s bed. She nodded to Kyle who returned it with a warm smile. Things had certainly thawed out between Ali and the blonde since their talk in her office a couple days prior, but it was obvious that they were both sticking very firm to the doctor patient relationship. Ali’s developing feelings of resentment weren’t helping that matter much either. The blonde looked over his chart that was nestled in a small box hanging on the wall and let out a sigh. “I can’t give him anything else for the pain yet,” she said with a grim expression. Turning to Ali she met her eyes. “I’m sorry, but he can’t get anything else for two hours. Dr. Engen just administered something for the pain a few hours ago.”

Ali let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head. “Well clearly what you gave him isn’t working,” she mumbled, but the blonde caught every word. “Is there anything you can do?” she asked, her voice dripping in desperation as another moan escaped her son’s lips.

“I’m sorry, but there’s not,” the blonde responded solemnly as her pager went off. She glanced down and saw that she needed to go. “I have to go, but I’m going to get my team together to look into some other options moving forward,” she said, trying to muster up a reassuring aura. It was obvious that it didn’t work when the brunette just shook her head and turned her shoulders so that she was facing her son again, leaving her back to the doctor.

The next two hours felt like the longest of Ali’s life. While she was grateful that Tyler was actually acknowledging her for once, him clutching tightly to her hand as burning sensations ripped through his body, wasn’t exactly the circumstances she wanted it to be under. She was thankful for one thing though, that at exactly 3:26, Dr. Harris came back into the room with a new IV bag.

“We’re going to try something a bit different right now,” she began, holding up the bag towards Ali to signal that it contained some different drugs for Tyler. “This combination of drugs seems to have a better success rate at treating the nausea and nerve pain. It’s a bit stronger and will block the sensors in the brain a bit so he’ll be very groggy and tired, and his body will feel a bit dull.”

Ali didn’t like the side effects the doctor was describing, but if her bruised hand was any indication, Tyler needed this. “That’s fine,” she mumbled, her eyes falling back on Tyler who was looking at her desperately, his eyes glossed over in pain and discomfort. “Whatever is going to help,” she added, ignoring the irony that pumping more drugs into him was the solution to the side effects caused by the first round sent coursing through his veins.

“This should do it,” the blonde responded as she set to changing out the bags. “And if not we’ll keep trying until we get him more comfortable.” She could tell the brunette was upset, but that wasn’t the cause for her determination. Seeing her patients in pain was never something she wanted to witness, and like her brother she had taken a liking to the moody seven year old. After securing the bag she squatted down so she was eye level with Tyler. “How you feeling, TJ?” she asked and set her hand gently on his knee.

His eyes fluttered open as they focused on the doctor. “Alright,” he muttered, trying to sound tough even though there was no reason for the façade as far as Ashlyn was concerned.

“Well once we get you feeling better, I owe you a video game session with me in the Kid’s Room. Any game of your choice, bud. If you beat me you go on the Wall of Fame.” Her voice was quiet as she described the tradition that she underwent with every child that took her up on the offer after their first round of chemo was completed. “Although, I will say that I’ve only been beaten twice,” she added, a playfully smug grin on her face.

His eyes lit up the slightest bit as he thought of the implications. Being on the road with Ali alot meant he spent a lot of time playing video games. FIFA was his go-to and he was pretty sure he could take the blonde in his game of choice. “FIFA?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper at this point as the drugs were already having a dazing effect on him.

Ashlyn chuckled and shot a glance over to Ali, whom she knew was actually in the new FIFA game. _Of course that’s what he would want to play_ , she thought with a laugh and gently shook her head side to side, wondering who the boy's go-to team was. “FIFA it is, buddy. You just let me know when you’re up for it, alright?” she asked, getting a bit more serious. Having Tyler feel good enough to play meant more to her than winning a video game and she just hoped it would be sooner rather than later. Judging by the look Ali had given her earlier when she couldn’t give Tyler more pain medicine, she didn’t want to know what would happen if this combination didn’t work. She had seen the brunette’s feisty side in some USWNT videos she scrolled through on YouTube the other day and was sure she didn’t want to cross her.

Tyler shook his head, lifting his hand for a light fist bump that caused Ali and Ashlyn to share a smile. Both were glad that he hadn’t lost his personality completely, even if it meant dealing with a moody little boy for Ali. She would take that over her son in pain any day.

“Someone will be back to check on him in a little bit,” the doctor said to Ali and Kyle before pushing up off Tyler’s bed and standing. “If you have any questions or there’s any changes in how he’s feeling, let me know immediately.”

Ali stood as well, closing the already small gap that existed between them with an outstretched arm. “Thank you,” she said, offering her hand to the blonde along with an appreciative smile that Ashlyn was pleased actually met her eyes. She certainly hadn’t liked being at odds with the brunette earlier, no matter how trivial and eagerly took her hand, thankful that she was sincerely thankful. They both ignored the heat radiating between them at their point of contact, and Ali quickly dropped her hand back to her side.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, her lips curling up into a smile even though Ali had essentially recoiled from the spark that shot back and forth between their palms. She was about to add something else, when a phone ringing began reverberating through the room. Ali held one finger up in the air as her eyes began raking across the room in an attempt to find it. “I’ll be by later,” the blonde said quietly, quickly excusing herself as Ali pulled her phone off the window sill and brought it to her ear. The last thing she heard was the brunette’s excited, “Hi!”, before she tugged the door closed behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's excited for that FIFA game? Lol


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's game dayyy. And to celebrate... Here's another chapter.

“So there’s really no change?” Ali asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. How could her son’s body be so frail already, and the chemotherapy have had such little effect? It didn’t make sense to her as she pushed out of the chair in the doctor’s office and began pacing.

Ashlyn went to speak up, to try and calm Ali down, but knew the brunette was beyond words. She slipped out of her own chair and closed the gap between them. Ali’s back was towards her so she placed her hand gently on her shoulder. “Ms. Krieger-“ she began but was cut off as the defender whipped around.

“Ali. Just call me Ali,” she practically demanded, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration as stray tears rolled down her face. She hated the formality of everything, wanting at least something to feel normal in her life. It might be selfish as her son was the one lying in a hospital bed a few rooms away, but it felt like her life was spiraling as well. Looking back, she wished she would have allowed Kyle to come to this meeting so she would have had more support, but she thought Tyler having it was more important.

The blonde resisted the urge to reach out and wipe Ali’s rolling tears away, instead leaning back to pull a tissue out of the box on the front corner of her desk. “Here, Ali,” she said, her voice soft and composed while handing the tissue to the other woman who quickly took it and dabbed at her eyes. “Can you come sit back down, please?” she asked, hoping she would be able to relax a bit in the chair. Ali nodded and sank into the chair in front of the blonde’s desk. Ashlyn surprised her by dropping down into the seat next to her, instead of taking up residence in the expensive leather chair housed behind her desk.

“I’m sorry,” Ali mumbled, her eyes trained on the floor. She was embarrassed by her inability to hide her emotions and couldn’t bare to look at the blonde.

Ashlyn let out a soft sigh. “You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing at all,” she assured. “This is emotional for everyone and it’s actually good to get it all out.” When Ali still refused to meet her gaze, the blonde gently prodded her arm, so light that Ali almost didn’t feel it. But she did feel it. How could she not when the lightest graze from the doctor sent warmth shooting through every inch of her being. “Ali, this was only the first round of treatment. It’s not uncommon for an AML patient, especially of his age, to need at least three or four rounds of treatment during the induction phase.”

Ali felt shivers rippling through her body at the thought of Tyler having to go through so many more rounds of chemotherapy, or maybe it was caused by the blonde’s thumb which was gently rubbing a small circle on her forearm. She lifted her gaze to meet the blonde’s, but didn’t pull her arm back. “Are we…are we being aggressive enough?” Ali asked in a shaky voice, hating herself for even thinking it. She had seen the side effects of the first round of drugs and knew more aggressive therapy meant even worse side effects. Still, if Tyler being in slightly more pain for a few months meant him going into remission, was it worth it?

“I would decrease his recovery period, but based on his intensity of side effects, I wouldn’t advise it at the time,” Ashlyn replied, pulling her hand back to rest on her leg. “As I said, with his prognostic factors, it isn’t uncommon for more rounds of treatment to be necessary.” She saw Ali’s expression drop a bit and quickly continued. “After the next round, if there’s no or little change, then I’ll get together with my team again and see if we need to revise our original strategy.”

Ali stared at the brunette as she continued rambling on about treatment options and responses to chemotherapy drugs. It was intriguing to her that this woman who surfed and was covered in tattoos, was such an intelligent, compassionate person. It was obvious how seriously she took her work and that, contrary to Ali’s slight doubt that she was the one for the job, she was great at it. She allowed her mind to flutter for just a moment to a life where she could pursue something with the blonde. A life where she could grab lunch with her on the regular after a tough practice or show up to Tyler’s soccer games with the blonde on her arm, winking at the stepford wives who would certainly roll their eyes at the sight of Ashlyn. But then her thoughts rotate to Amber and what happened last time she opened her heart, how she had gotten hurt and how her son’s life had been obliterated in the process. This scenario certainly had the possibility of becoming even more convoluted than the prior one and simply wasn't something she could afford to consider.

A sigh escaped Ali’s lips as her eyes refocused on the blonde who was looking at her expectantly. “Huh?” Ali asked, her cheeks flushing just a bit in embarrassment. Here the blonde was discussing treatment options and she was daydreaming about how deeply her ex had hurt her, and how if given the change the blonde had potential for even more collateral damage. “Sorry I’m just tired,” she mumbled, hoping it would cover for her.

“I was just asking how, _you_ were doing with everything?” she patiently repeated while leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. “I know everyone is always checking on Tyler, but how are you handling it all?”

Ali was a bit taken aback by the question. A doctor had never asked her _that_ question before, how she was dealing with a family member’s stay in the hospital. Although the only examples to draw from was her grandfather’s heart attack and mother’s bout with pneumonia a few years back. It was again, refreshing to know the blonde cared on a deeper level than she had experience before. “I’m…I’m struggling,” she replied. While she appreciated the question, she still wasn’t sure how to answer it. They were trapped in their awkward limbo of professional relationship bordering on light friendship and Ali knew how quickly things had gone south last time. Still, she knew that was mostly her inability to face her demons more so than the doctor overstepping. Well, overstepping for a doctor, sure, but it seemed they were in some alternate universe where that didn’t seem to matter.

“You can talk to me,” Ashlyn began, before quickly adding, “if you want.” She didn’t want to push Ali into anything she wasn’t comfortable discussing. She had certainly learned her lesson from last time and was more than willing to let the brunette lead the conversation.

The words sunk in and Ali was comforted by the fact that Ashlyn wasn’t pushing anything on her. It made her even more willing to actually open up. “I just…I hate seeing him like this. And I know it needs to happen. I know he’s going to get worse before it gets better, but I guess no mother wants to see her baby lying in a bed calling out in pain,” she surmised, her fingers running over the rivets on the side of the armrest.

“That’s certainly understandable,” Ashlyn responded with a nod. “Having no children myself, I can only imagine the feeling. I know it’s personally hard for me to see as well, but I can’t fathom how much worse it is for my patient’s parents and families. It takes incredibly strong people to get through all of this,” she admitted quietly. Her own thoughts drifted to the fact that she was over thirty with no wife or children to share her life with, but she pushed the sadness out of her mind. It wasn’t her time to be upset, not when she had Ali in her office confessing things that people usually kept locked deep inside.

“I wish it was me,” the brunette whispered with a sincerity so deep that it reverberated deep into the blonde’s chest. “I wish it was me in that bed.”

A silence fell over the women as both became lost in their thoughts. Ali, wishing more than anything she could take away her son’s pain, Ashlyn realizing just how amazing and selfless the woman sitting before her was. She didn’t have an ordinary life. She was a professional athlete with money, fame and the ability to represent her country on the world’s stage, but Ashlyn had never heard such honesty housed in a confession like that. Unsure of how to respond to that statement, the words just came tumbling out. “I wish it was neither of you,” she finally responded, giving the brunette’s hand a gentle squeeze as her own honesty poured out. She realized it was the right response when the brunette squeezed her hand and offered her a small, only slightly pained smile.

“Me too, Ashlyn. Me too.”

The blonde’s smile grew slightly at the fact that Ali dropped the formal title of doctor. She let the brunette’s hand slip from her own and leaned back a bit in her chair. “He’s in good hands here, Ali,” she said, her voice mustering all the reassurance she could manage at the moment as her own emotions were rippling through her veins. “He is.”

Ali nodded before biting her bottom lip deep in thought. “I just…”

“You just what?” Ashlyn prodded when Ali’s voice just trailed off into silence for a few seconds.

Letting out a sigh, the brunette raised her gaze to meet the blonde’s eyes. “I want you to tell me that he’ll be okay. I just…I need to know that he’ll get through this. I can’t lose him, Ashlyn,” she said with a cracking voice. She knew it wasn’t fair to ask the doctor this question, but the bad news that the first round of chemo had had little effect had caused her to slip into a deep place. The thought of losing her baby boy who had already been through more than most encounter in a lifetime was too much to bear. “Please promise me that he’s going to be okay,” she begged, the tears running down her cheeks as she frantically tried to wipe them away.

Ashlyn froze in her chair. Her heart clenched in her chest and she was struggling to find the right words to answer the brunette. She looked so desperate and broken while trying to fight back the tears. There were cracks in the damn and she knew the wrong answer, that was actually the only answer she _could_ legally give, would break through that wall and unleash the floodgates. “I…I…” she stuttered, her ability to speak further impaired by the way the brunette’s eyes worriedly searched hers for any hope of a promise. “I can’t promise that,” Ashlyn finally breathed out ruefully, hoping the confession would be like ripping off a band aid. She watched as the damn broke, the brunette dropping her face into her palms as her chest heaved with desperate sobs and she did the only thing she knew to do, not caring if it crossed any lines. She stood up, and pulled the brunette into her strong arms, holding her tightly to her chest as her sobs echoed through the large, corner office suite.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the long delay! Hope you all had a good weekend and enjoy this update :)

Things changed. Ali doesn’t want to believe that they did or admit that it had an impact, but it did. The feeling of being wrapped tightly in the doctor’s arms had a lasting impact on her and she cursed herself for it. She tried to shake the feeling. She went for a run, and then an even longer run, took a hot shower, took a cold shower, tried to sleep it off, even going so far as to return the flirtatious advances of a young, preppy doctor that had offered to buy her lunch in the hospital cafeteria. Nothing worked though. Nothing rid her mind of the thoughts of the doctor, of how safe she felt even though she had no business feeling it after that same doctor just informed her that there was no guarantee her son would beat his illness. Nothing rid her body of the feeling of warmth that radiated through her, not even scrubbing the skin where the blonde’s fingers had gently grazed her skin as she clutched her tightly to her chest, whispering that she was going to do everything possible to help Tyler pull through.

What was even more infuriating, was that it was almost as if the blonde knew it. It seemed to Ali that every lingering touch, that to any other patient’s mother would seem completely innocent and platonic, or warm smile that could border on a smirk, was just a way to play with her. It was a way to further infect her thoughts and while part of her believed that, the other side knew that the doctor was humble and professional and surely wouldn’t actually think that Ali couldn’t stop thinking about her in a way that wasn’t exactly platonic. Surely she couldn’t know that the sleepless nights spent in the chair beside Tyler’s bed were in part due to the fact that Ashlyn had smiled so big at her that day. She couldn’t.

Still, as the beautiful doctor wandered into Tyler’s room to check on him for what seemed like the tenth time that day, Ali couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe the doctor couldn’t stop thinking about her either.

“How are my two favorite Krieger’s?” Ashlyn asked as she wandered into the room with a wide smile as she plopped onto the stool beside Tyler’s bed.

Her hand was void of Tyler’s file which made Ali smirk. When she would be in the hall on the phone or coming back from the cafeteria, she would watch as the blonde slipped into other patient’s rooms, always with a file in her hand. The fact that she was coming to check on Tyler so frequently without even bothering to bring his file only emphasized the fact that maybe the doctor felt it too. It had been three days since Ali had let herself fall apart in the doctor’s office and since then, the blonde’s visits had only increased. Knowing there was nowhere it could lead though, Ali tried to convince herself that the blonde had taken a strong liking to her son. It wasn’t hard to convince herself of that as she watched their poignant interactions and pointed banter. Her son certainly hadn’t lost his wit, one thing she was glad the chemotherapy hadn’t stripped him of.

“We’re your only Kriegers,” the brunette finally replied with a chuckle as she met the doctor’s warm hazel eyes.

“Hey I met your brother,” the blonde countered as she pulled her eyes from the brunette’s to glance at Tyler. “How’s it going tonight TJ?” she asked, her smile growing as she looked down at him.

The boy sat up a bit, his pale skin reflecting the light in a harrowing way as he gently bumped her fist with his own. The effects of the chemotherapy were visibly evident in his hollowed frame and foggy eyes. “I’m alright,” he offered with a shrug, his voice weaker than normal, but growing slightly stronger every day. His body was certainly appreciative of the break from chemotherapy drugs pumping through his veins, killing the good cells along with the bad. “Just been watching lots of TV,” he added.

“Is that the Incredibles I see?” she asked, nodding to the DVD case lying on top of a stack of Disney movies sitting on a dresser that Kelley had sent over in a large package earlier that day for him. She had claimed it was Brady’s idea when Ali had called to thank her and tell her she really shouldn’t have, but the brunette knew it was the woman’s kind heart that had come up with the idea. She appreciated it greatly and knew Tyler did as well, his eyes lighting up when he pulled movie after movie out of the box earlier that day. To be honest, Ali was grateful for anything that made her son smile like that.

He nodded in response. “It’s one of my favorites,” he said with a small smile as he cast a glance to the stack of DVDs.

Ashlyn’s smile grew tenfold and in that moment, Ali knew she was in deep. As Tyler and Ashlyn diverged into a deep conversation about the possibility of a sequel and began developing a detailed plot from their imaginations, it was obvious that she was not the only reason the doctor was visiting the room so frequently. It was almost as if she wasn’t even in the room and while that fact might upset someone else, that simply made her fall even deeper. Seeing someone care for Tyler as she did, getting him to open up in the darkest time of his life, made her heart flutter. As Ashlyn finally turned back to look at her, she couldn’t even hide the endearing smile that was split across her face, a smile which the doctor easily returned.

“Will you watch it with me sometime?”

The question slipping out of Tyler’s mouth pulled them both from their glance. Ali quickly pulled her gaze from the doctor’s, quick to make an excuse for her. “Tyler, Dr. Harris is really busy. I don’t think-“

She was cut off as the blonde held up her hand and shot her an apologetic smile before turning back to the boy. “Actually, if you don’t mind waiting until tomorrow, I might be able to sneak it in during my lunch break. As long as you don’t mind me possibly having to slip out if another patient really needs me.”

Ali wanted to butt in and excuse the doctor, but the sincere look on the blonde’s face as she engaged with Tyler halted her actions.

Tyler’s face lit up, the faintest bit of color coming back into his cheeks. “Really?!” he exclaimed, his voice reaching a level of excitement that Ali didn’t even know was possible anymore.

“Really,” she replied easily, a smile spreading across her lips as well. “Does tomorrow at noon work for your busy schedule?” she teased, pulling a laugh from Ali more so than Tyler.

He eagerly nodded, before suddenly becoming a bit shy. His eyes dropped down to his lap where his hands were fiddling with the hem of the blanket pooled around his thin waist. The doctor easily caught it and placed a hand on his leg. “What’s up, TJ?” she asked the concern evident.

“Do you…do you think that maybe we…maybe we could watch some surf videos after?” he asked quietly, before quickly adding to his question. “I mean…only if…only if none of the other kids need you.”

Ashlyn smiled at his concern for the other children. The selflessness something she enjoyed when working with children who hadn’t yet been hardened by the cutthroat world they lived in. “I might not be able to stay that long tomorrow, but how about I bring you in some DVD’s that I have for you to watch? And maybe I can sneak in and watch a bit during my rounds?”

Tyler’s crystal blue eyes lit up and he nodded as eagerly as his frail state allowed. “Yeah!” he exclaimed, sitting up just a bit taller. “Let’s do that!”

Ashlyn chuckled before turning and casting a glance towards Ali, realizing quickly that she should have probably approved the plan with the brunette. Her eyes fell onto the brunette, finally appreciating the laid back outfit that she so easily rocked. She had on a light wash of skinny jeans that clung perfectly, but not too tight to her well-defined legs, and a dark gray Nike sweater that hung off one shoulder. A pair of white Air Force One’s adorned her feet and for a moment Ash was just left in awe at how beautiful she was even in the simplest of outfits. When her eyes finally found Ali’s, a slight blush crept across her face at the brunette’s raised eyebrow and she knew she had been caught admiring. She coughed into her fist once to clear her throat and offered the brunette an apologetic grin. “That is as long as it’s okay with your mom,” she finally stated, and Ali couldn’t miss the way Tyler shot her a desperate, pleading look.

“Of course it’s okay with me,” she said with a nose crinkling grin when Tyler and the blonde cheered in unison. “Do you mind if I join?” she asked, knowing she might be very well pushing her luck. She didn’t care though, she couldn’t get the blonde out of her head. Something was just drawing her to her.

Ashlyn was just about to blurt out how much she would love for Ali to hang with them, when Tyler let out a loud, displeased groan. “Aw man,” he grumbled, wanting some special alone time with the doctor where his mother wouldn’t be present. She didn’t miss the way Ali’s face dropped and tried her best to quickly salvage the situation. “Tyler, that’s not very nice,” she lightly chastised, hoping she wouldn’t ruin the trust she had built with him by defending Ali. She still didn’t know the story between the two, but certainly didn’t want them to be at odds. “How about this,” she began, hoping she could regain her ‘cool doctor’ status with a small compromise. “How about your mom joins us for the movie and then when we watch surf videos later, we’ll kick her out so she can go grab some food or catch up with friends.”

Ali’s eyes narrowed towards the doctor. It wasn’t because she was essentially kicking her out of her room, but rather the doctor was challenging her to do something she’d be neglecting, spend some time on herself. She let out a soft sigh, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought. Come to think of it, she could definitely use an hour or so to herself and her mind immediately flashed to Kelley and hoping maybe she could meet up. “I think that could work,” she finally responded, giving the blonde a playful glare. They were both on the same side and that much was evident. “As long as that’s okay with you Tyler?” she asked, holding her breath and hoping her son wouldn’t completely reject her again in front of the doctor.

“Alright,” he huffed. There was no excitement behind it, but both women in the room breathed a sigh of relief.

A glance to the clock reminded Ashlyn that she had to get going and that this was supposed to be a shorter visit. She had lunch with Whitney in five minutes and she certainly didn’t need the younger doctor asking her lots of questions as to why she was running late. It was already bad enough that she had caught on to her best friend’s frequent visits to the Krieger’s room. While Whit hadn’t called her out on it, knowing the blonde would never do anything to jeopardize her career or the hospital's’ reputation, she could easily catch the sly grins she would shoot her way when she came back from visiting Tyler and Ali. “Well it’s a date then,” she teased, lightly patting Tyler’s leg. “I’ll see you both tomorrow?” she asked, smiling as both Krieger’s nodded enthusiastically, Ali’s slightly more restrained than her son’s. She hopped up from the stool and made her way out of the room, giving Ali a light pat on the arm as she slipped by her before entering the hallway.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this has taken me so long. Got some things going on and the words just aren't flowing. I'm not abandoning it, it just might take me a little for updates. Hope you all had a good holiday.

Sometimes Ali hears sayings and doesn’t quite understand how they make sense in the scheme of things. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. You’re the apple of my eye. Don’t cry over spilt milk. Sometimes there’s even conflicting ones. If someone is out of sight, they’re out of mind, but then how does absence make the heart grow fonder? These are the type of things she’s been left to ponder during her transatlantic flights and cross country adventures to games far and wide. However, as fleeting as it may be, one of them had finally clicked for her. Laughter is the best medicine.

Tyler was curled up in his bed, his blanket pulled up to his chin to keep the warmth wrapped around his body with Ashlyn leaning back in a plush chair she pushed in from her office right beside him. The two were sporadically erupting in fits of giggles as the movie continued on and Ali honestly couldn’t think of a more magical sound. Not even the crowd roaring after their World Cup victory or the sound of fans cheering her name beat the sound of her son’s laughter filling the room. Her soaring spirits and wide grin may also have had something to do with the way a certain blonde’s laughter mixed with his, bolstering the sound. Or the way her dimple split her cheek in two when she threw her head back in laughter.

She saw a light in Tyler’s eyes that had been absent for far too long and though she knew she was currently taking a back seat in the laughter and banter, even occupying a chair against the back wall so that the doctor could have the prime seat next to Tyler, it’s a sight she’d never get tired of. It had filled her up with a renewed sense of hope and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she knew she had Ashlyn to thank for it. The credits began rolling, but the laughter didn’t cease. They continued joking, carrying on with the plot they were developing for the Incredibles II and Ali thought it was absolutely adorable.

“You know that Kelley is a Disney, VP, right?” she asked, slipping out of her chair and posting up on the edge of Tyler’s bed. She knew her son was creative, but she couldn’t deny that his ideas were actually pretty good.

“Really?” he exclaimed, seemingly not putting two and two together that he had been shipped a box of brand new Disney DVD’s as a ‘Get Well Soon’ present. Ali nodded and shared a small smile with Ashlyn at the boy’s excitement. “You think she’d listen to my idea?” he asked, eagerness evident as he looked expectantly back and forth between the two women crowded around his bed.

“Maybe,” Ali chuckled, running her fingers gently through his hair. She fought down the guilt when a small chunk fell out between her fingers, shaking it off as if nothing had happened, but the blonde easily caught it. “She and Brady might come visit in a few days if you’re feeling up for it,” she added, assuming that the other woman would humor him. She seemed patient and kind enough and really he just wanted someone to listen to the idea.

“Awesome!” he shrieked, quickly fist bumping the blonde who returned it eagerly with an amused grin. “Well...” he trailed off when the laughter died down and cast a glance to the doctor. “Do you…do you have to get going now?” he asked tentatively.

The blonde glanced at Ali who simply shrugged, giving her permission to do whatever she needed to. “Actually, I think I might have a bit to watch some of those surf DVD’s I brought,” she said so enthusiastically that it was evident she was just as excited as Tyler whose eyes lit up in pure joy.

“Sweet!” he said, turning as quickly as his weakened body allowed him to grab the DVD’s Ash had set beside him on the night stand. “Which one?” he asked, holding them out to the blonde.

Ashlyn was just about to respond, when she caught Ali’s look out of the corner of her eye. She watched as the brunette slipped off the bed, whispering that she’d let them have their ‘bro time’ before turning to gather her purse. “You pick, buddy,” she replied with a grin. “I’ve got to go talk to your mom for a minute.”

“About what?” he asked, his eyes narrowing in skepticism as his blue eyes darted back and forth between them.

“Boring adult stuff,” Ash quickly countered without a moment of hesitation before she patted his leg and pushed out of her chair. “Pick a good one!” she called over her shoulder as she followed the brunette into the hallway. As soon as she entered the hallway, she was stopped by a gently hand on her chest. She lifted her eyes to meet the brunette’s warm smile.

“You don’t have to do this,” Ali said with a slightly admonishing grin as she eyed the doctor under a raised eyebrow. “I know you probably have a lot to get done.”

The blonde let out a sigh and leaned back against the door frame. As her arms crossed against her chest, she already missed the brunette’s chest. Refusing to let it show, she simply smiled in return. “I can stay for a little,” she began, throwing her hands up in surrender when it looked like Ali was going to counter her. “I promise, Ali,” she finished, slowly dropping her hands to her sides.

“Can I ask you something?” Ali asked, a state of shyness suddenly falling over her.

The doctor easily caught onto it and leaned forward to close some of the distance between them. She was certainly aware of the slight shift in their relationship after that day in her office as well. “Of course. Anything,” she gently prodded.

“Why Tyler?” she asked, her eyes finally pulling up from the floor as she rubbed her arm gently. She knew there was no elaboration needed, both could tell that the blonde had taken a liking to the boy and Ali just hoped it was for the right reason. Ashlyn spent time with and cared for all of her patients, but it wasn’t lost on the brunette how often the blonde came around checking on Tyler and watching surf videos certainly wasn’t in her job description.

While their relationship had certainly grown, Ashlyn still wasn’t sure the boundaries of what she was allowed to discuss. The last thing she wanted was to set Ali off again. She offered a light hearted shrug, which clearly wasn’t enough for the brunette who just narrowed her eyes in anticipation. “He’s a sweet kid,” Ash mumbled, trying to find the words to tell Ali that more than anything he reminded her of herself. A good heart, but angry at the world.

“All of these kids are sweet,” Ali chuckled, remembering an earlier encounter she witnessed when walking by the Kids Room where two little girls were playing dolls together. It was amazing how normal it seemed and aside from the IV drips and bald heads, they would have just seemed like two best friends playing dolls.

Another sigh left the doctor’s lips. “He reminds me of myself when I was younger, okay?” she finally offered with a shrug. “And I like hanging with him. He’s a good kid. And his mom isn’t so bad either,” she added with a charming grin that caused Ali to roll her eyes.

“Oh is that so?” Ali responded, shaking her head. “I actually heard she’s a total bitch,” she playfully whispered with a serious face.

A whole hearted chuckle left the blonde’s lips as she grazed the defender’s arm with the hand that wasn’t tucked into her lab coat pocket. “Lies,” she responded emphatically, her eyes sparkling in the bright white light of the hospital hallway. “All lies.”

Ali caught the seriousness that settled into the hazel orbs gazing back at her. There was something behind them that she hadn’t quite seen before and it sent a wave of calm washing over her. “Whatever you say, Dr. Harris,” she playfully countered, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips.

“Hey!” the blonde responded, her eyebrows knitting together as she pointed a finger at the brunette’s chest. “That’s Ashlyn to you,” she teased, returning Ali’s smirk in kind.

They shared an easy laugh for a minute before Ali’s phone began ringing. She glanced down to see Kelley was calling and held up one finger to ask for a moment. “Hey, Kelley, give me one sec. I’ll call you right back,” she said, nodding again before hanging up the phone.

“Hot date with that Kelley?” the blonde teased, but there was a bit of question behind it.

The slight twinge of jealously laced deep within the doctor’s question was not missed by Ali who just nodded. “Oh yes. Hot date with a married woman,” she teased. “She’s actually downstairs with lunch for me. We we’re going to eat out there at the picnic tables. Is it okay if I go down there or do you need me to stick around in case you get called away?” she asked, not wanting the doctor to feel responsible for her son. Kyle had already left so he really would be alone.

“I should be okay, but why don’t you give me your cell number,” she casually responded, thankful she was able to bite back the nerves riddling through her body. She had actually never been so nervous asking for a woman’s number before and internally groaned at the thought that she was so enamored with the brunette she could never have.

“Oh…” Ali replied with a hint of shock, obviously caught off guard by the doctor’s forward request. She had been so professional lately, but the defender certainly wasn’t going to question it. “Yeah that would work,” she quickly recovered, reaching out to grab the blonde’s phone to enter her name and phone number. “Please call me if he needs anything. Or if you do,” she said, offering a beaming smile before being pushed towards the elevator by the doctor who was happy to see the brunette getting some fresh air and sunshine.

“Go enjoy! We’ll be just fine!” she called out, smiling when Ali waved just before the elevator doors closed behind her.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's starting to question feelings and motives... Hope you all had good holidays!

“So how’s the hot doctor?” Kelley questioned with a sly grin as Ali slipped onto the picnic table bench.

The brunette rolled her eyes as she grabbed the Turkey sub Kelley pushed in her direction. She doesn’t answer for a moment, instead focusing on keeping the smile threatening to split across her face undercover as she unwrapped her lunch. Finally, she glanced up and met the freckle faced woman’s mischievously twinkling eyes and can’t help the smile forming this time. “She’s fine,” Ali replied with a school girl blush as she took a large bite of her sub as an excuse to not talk for a moment.

“Is that who’s watching Tyler right now?” the other woman asked before digging into her own lunch of a BLT.

Ali nodded before setting her sandwich down and grabbing the bottled water Kelley had brought for her. “Yeah we all watched a movie, one of the ones you sent over actually and now they’re watching surfing videos.” She glanced up to find the other woman studying her a bit.

“Well that’s awfully nice of her,” Kelley elaborated on her point as Ali just looked back at her expectantly.

The tone in Kelley’s voice was not missed and again Ali rolled her eyes slightly. “I know it’s…” her voice trailed off as she thought of the right word, “unusual. Tyler really responds to her though and I just want to see him smiling.”

“Have you told Ashlyn about everything or does she still just think Tyler is some moody pre-teen?”

The question caught Ali off guard for a moment. Why would she tell the doctor about her past? That was something so intimate as well as something she had fought so hard to keep under wraps. But why then did it seem like a give in that she would eventually confess her past to the blonde? When she finally pulled herself from her thoughts she saw Kelley staring back at her with a smirk tugging at her lips. “What?” she scoffed before taking another bite of her sub, savoring the fresh turkey that she never tasted in the hospital ones.

“You’re thinking about it,” Kelley prodded, her focus solely on the defender, lunch momentarily forgotten.

Ali sighed and dropped her head down. “Kelley she’s my son’s pediatric oncologist. That can never happen on so many different levels. First and foremost she’d lose her job and I’m not going to jeopardize that. Secondly, Tyler still hasn’t forgiven me for the last fiasco. He really likes her and looks up to her and I don’t want to break my son’s trust again either.”

Looking across the rustic wooden table, it was easy to see that Ali was tormented. Her feelings for the doctor, whether she wanted to admit them aloud or not, were apparent even from just the way her face would light up when Ashlyn walked into a room. As much as Kelley hated to admit it, her reasons for not acting on them unfortunately outweighed her search for happiness. Putting both her son and Ashlyn before herself, Kelley wondered why the brunette had seemed to get the raw deal in the love aspect of life. It brought up further questions, most notably what had become of Tyler’s father, a man Kelley presumed had once loved the brunette who likely reciprocated his feelings. It didn’t seem like the right time to broach that subject though, as the smile had long since slipped off Ali’s face. Another question for another day thought the Disney executive as she quickly came up with a plan to get the brunette smiling again.

 

****

 

“You like my mom, huh?”

The words caught Ashlyn completely off guard and she almost spit her coffee out as her eyebrows shot to her forehead. Her head whipped in the little boy’s direction as she tried to still her expression. “What?” she asked while trying to hide the shock in her voice.

Tyler rolled his eyes as he stared back at the doctor. “You like my mom,” he replied, this time making the statement rather than bothering with a question. He could easily read it on both women’s faces and could tell that his mom was avoiding crossing any lines. While part of him still hadn’t forgiven her for the ridicule and humiliation he had suffered at his old school, he had to admit to himself that he had never seen his mother light up quite like when Dr. Harris was around.

“Your mother is a very nice lady,” Ashlyn replied, trying to regain some control of the situation. Her palms had become sweaty and she thought how ridiculous it was that she was nervous being interrogated by a seven year old. Her answer was even more ridiculous, but she quickly shrugged it off.

The little boy wasn’t buying her answer though and simply laughed. “A nice lady?” he questioned with a raised eyebrow. “I see the way you look at her,” he added, his voice trailing off as if he was prodding the nervous doctor.

Ashlyn fidgeted a bit in her seat, unsure how to address the situation. She knew Tyler wasn’t oblivious to what was happening between them, but also knew he had a strained relationship at best with the brunette and she didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize what little progress they had made recently. “Yes,” she said a bit more sternly. “A nice lady. And the mother of my favorite patient,” she added with a sly smile as she lightly rubbed his head. “Now quit interrogating me and let's watch these videos,” she said with a sense of finality and turned back to the small laptop screen where the surf video was playing.

Tyler studied the doctor for a moment before letting his attention shift to the television. To be honest, he didn’t know exactly what he wanted to come of the conversation. Part of it centered around curiosity, while the other bordered on skepticism. Dr. Harris claimed that he was her favorite patient, but did she really just come around because of his mother? It wouldn’t be the first time someone had expressed interest in him just to get closer to Ali. Friends at school, other doctors, and especially teachers that claimed he was such an exemplary student that they just had to meet with his mother. It irritated him to no end, and while he didn’t think the doctor was like the others, he couldn’t shrug off the suspicion that there were ulterior motives in her coming around. Still, he enjoyed their time together and wasn’t going to press the issue.

“Did you see that?!” Ashlyn nearly shrieked which pulled him from his thoughts. She quickly rewound the video to replay a gnarly ride that seemed to impress Tyler by the way his eyes lit up. She tried to focus, but her mind kept drifting back to the brunette that she seemed to be falling harder and harder for.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one fast forwards in time a bit. A short one with my signature cliff hanger :p

Four rounds. Four rounds of intensive chemotherapy treatment had come and gone. It had seen stress; Ali running her hands gently over her son’s freshly shaven head. It had seen tears; the brunette and even Tyler tearing up when Kyle had walked into the room to visit with a freshly shaven head of his own. It had most certainly seen hopelessness and heartache; Ali bent over at the waist sobbing in the doctor’s office as the blonde held her tightly after revealing the second and then the third treatment had little effect. It had seen pain; Tyler was bent over the toilet, vomiting from the side effects of the chemo, or writhing in bed as the drugs pillage his wither frame. Through the struggle, though they had also seen laughter. Movie nights with Ali and Tyler curled up in his bed, the blonde sitting just beside them in the office chair she would roll in as they all laughed at whatever Disney movie Tyler had picked out that day. Lunch dates where Ashlyn was able to steal away from her office to meet up with the beautiful defender for a quick bite in the cafeteria that usually lead to Ali smiling more in that hour than she had all week.

After four rounds of pain, heartbreak and stress, the brunette sat anxiously waiting in the blonde’s office as she glanced over the CBC results that had just been delivered minutes ago. She could see the worry splashed across her face. The second round had done next to nothing, the third round only having slightly decreased the counts and now as she sat here about to deliver the news after the fourth round, her stomach was twisting in knows. It had been a rough journey for the three of them. Late night phone calls when it all seemed too much or stolen moments in her office where Ali could finally be herself, breaking down in the doctor’s strong arms. She took a deep, settling breath, her lungs filling with a breath of fresh air that made the next step possible. Her face scrunched up before she peeled her hazel eyes from the file and began relaying the news to the nervously fidgeting mother.

“So you’re saying it worked?” Ali asked, her eyes brimming over with excitement as she leaned forward in the plush chair which sat before the blonde doctor’s sturdy oak desk. “You’re saying he’s in remission?”

Unable to contain the excitement, the blonde nodded, but still maintained a stoic face. She knew that Tyler’s cancer being in remission was great news, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. While the results showed that there was no more traces of the cancer in Tyler’s bone marrow, there were still many possibilities and the chance that the cancer could easily come back. She took the brunette’s hand between her own and gave it a gentle squeeze to bring her back to reality. The shimmering in her soft brown eyes which caught the light just perfectly nearly made her freeze, but she kept her composure. “It did, but we’re not out of the woods yet,” she replied, her voice even though the corner of her lips were playing up in a smile.

“That’s amazing,” Ali breathed out, her hands going to her mouth as she was unable to contain the slight tremble they held at the moment.

“It is very much so,” Ashlyn replied with a genuine smile as she saw some of the weight lift from the brunette’s tired shoulders. “It’s a great step on the road to recovery and I’m sure Tyler will be thrilled when you tell him.”

Ali nodded as she let the doctor’s words sink in a bit. She wanted to ask if Ashlyn could be there as well when she told him, but there were more pressing questions fluttering around in her head at the moment. “So…what’s next?” Ali asked, her glistening eyes desperately searching the doctor’s for answers. As good as the news she had just received was, she had done enough research and had enough talks with the doctor to know that going into remission was merely the first step of many on Tyler’s road to recovery. “Do we need to go another round? Or is he going to be released soon?” Her heart caught in her throat at the thought of being able to bring Tyler home. As amazing as that sounded, it also meant no more daily visits with the beautiful doctor and that was something she couldn’t quite stomach at the moment.

Ashlyn took a deep breath, again squeezing the brunette’s hand for comfort before she withdrew it. “Well we’re in remission now which is great news, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the leukemia is completely cured. It simply means that simple lab tests aren’t picking up any trancs.” She paused, and shifted on the edge of her desk to get a bit more comfortable. Looking down at the worn out and exhausted brunette, she fought the urge to just wrap her up and take away her pain. It had been a fine line they were walking over the past month; the casual flirting, lunch dates and longer-than-normal lingering touches, but that was a professional line the blonde couldn’t bring herself to cross. Taking another deep breath, she continued on. “The next step for children who have entered this stage would be to assess if they had a sibling that was a candidate to be a stem cell donor as a transplant at this stage significantly raises the chances of long-term survival over just chemo alone. Seeing as Tyler doesn’t have a sibling-“

“He does.”

Ashlyn froze, her words catching in her throat as her eyes jerked up from the file in her hands to meet the brunette’s tepid gaze. “Um…I’m sorry?” she asked in confusion. Her eyebrows knit together in the center of her forehead as she tried to process what the brunette was saying. Though they had become extremely close over the last two months, they had never ventured down the subject of Tyler’s father. Ali had never supplied and the blonde never wanted to cross that line. Still, Tyler having a sibling? Surely that was something that should have come up in a conversation.

“Tyler…” Ali began, taking a deep breath as she forced her eyes to meet the blonde’s confused expression. “He has an older brother.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I apologize for life getting in the way of my updates, but this one is jam packed with all the things you've been wanting to know! Or at least most of them ;)

“He what?” a slightly shocked Ashlyn stuttered as she tried to regain control of her facial expressions. She quickly steadied her face, her pursed lips relaxing a bit as she processed what the brunette before her had just admitted.

Ali took a deep breath as she mindlessly played with a loose fabric on her sweater. “Tyler has an older brother,” she confirmed, meeting the blonde’s eyes with an honest expression of her own. The corners of her eyes became wet with the trace of tears which she roughly wiped away with her sleeves. She could tell the doctor was confused, almost hurt even that Ali had never shared this with her and her heart constricted the slightest bit as she searched for the words.

Sensing Ali’s hesitation, Ashlyn jumped back into the conversation. “You don’t have to share the details…” she began, but was promptly cut off as Ali’s stream of consciousness began to spew from her mouth.

“Back in D.C.,” Ali began, letting out a deep sigh as she leaned forward in her chair. “He has an older brother Connor back there.”

A silence settled over the room for a minute as the blonde searched Ali’s eyes for more of an explanation. She knew more was to come, but at the moment her mind was absolutely reeling.

Deciding it was best to start from the beginning, Ali mustered up the strength to continue on. “The facility where I used to train with Chris was in a pretty bad area of town,” she said, sending a careful glance in the blonde’s direction. She looked back intently and with a sense of concern, so Ali proceeded. “There was a woman who had a little boy who would often be peddling on the corner of Chris’s gym. Sometimes I would get food or nutritional bars from sponsors sent to the gym and one day I decided to give her some. Her little boy was maybe three at the time and he was so skinny. I tried to offer more that day, but she refused. So every day when I worked out, I made sure to pack two extra lunches and would give them to her and Connor. She was so grateful and appreciative and on really cold days, Chris would even let them sit in the corner of the gym since the shelter they stayed at was closed during the day. I would play around with Connor sometimes after my workouts, but he was pretty closed off. After a few months of this, she sort of disappeared.” Ali’s voice trailed off as she recalled the obviously confusing experience she underwent.

Sensing that the story was about to take a turn for the worst, Ashlyn pushed back from her chair and made her way around the desk so that she was squatting in front of Ali. She took her hands in her own and gave them a reassuring squeeze. “Go on,” she encouraged, letting go of her right hand for just a brief moment as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind the brunette’s ear. “I’m right here.”

Absorbing the strength and composure that the blonde always seemed to exude, Ali took a deep breath in. “One day she just stopped coming and I didn’t see her for a while. I checked with the local shelters, but no one else had seen her either. Part of me hoped that she had moved on to something better, but deep down I knew something was off. I just had this feeling in my gut that I couldn’t shake. A little less than a year later, she showed up with a tiny baby boy in her arms…”

Ashlyn could hear the sadness in her voice as Ali’s eyes glassed over. “Tyler…” she supplied as the defender slowly nodded.

“Tyler,” she said in confirmation. “One look at her and I knew what she wanted. Deep down, I knew what I wanted too. I was thirty, not married with no real prospects and I wanted to start a family. My mind was churning with the negatives, but as soon as she placed him in my arms and he looked up at me…” she paused, wiping the now free flowing tears, “I just knew what I had to do. It was already too much for her to take care of one baby, but two? She couldn’t do it. I called my lawyer and he got us in contact with the right people and a month later, the adoption was final.”

The doctor sat back on her heels, amazed by the story that Ali had just laid out before her. The mix of honesty and emotional distress housed in the brunette’s shaky voice was enough to break any resolve she had and she quickly leaned forward and pulled Ali into her arms. “You’re amazing,” she whispered in awe into the messy bun that sat atop the defender’s head as she held the sobbing woman. “You are an amazing woman.”

They stayed that way, locked in an embrace, Ashlyn’s lips placed almost imperceptibly against the brunette’s temple until Ali’s cries finally subsided. Her chest began to rise and fall in its normal, rhythmic pattern when she finally pulled back from the blonde and furiously wiped the lingering tears from her eyes. “No I’m not,” she let out with a shaky breath as she took the soft tissue the blonde was holding out for her. “I did what anyone would,” she humbly shrugged. “And now look where it’s gotten him.”

“Hey,” Ashlyn replied sternly before gently grasping the brunette’s face between her large hands. “He was going to be in this place no matter what, Ali. His condition right now has nothing to do with your parenting or care, alright?”

The seriousness in the doctor’s eyes could not be missed. Deep down Ali knew the truth, but still couldn’t fight the guilt that Tyler somehow wouldn’t be in this place if it weren’t for her.

“I mean it,” Ashlyn added firmly, her fingers pressing slightly harder into the brunette’s cheeks until she tentatively met her gaze. “You are an amazing person and mother and Tyler is the luckiest boy in the world to have you.”

The slightest smile graced the brunette’s lips as she looked back at the beautiful doctor. A wave of warmth washed over her, quickly to be replaced with motherly concern as she remembered the reason why they were going through this story. “So…his brother…” she trailed off, unsure how to even process it.

“Do they have the same father?” Ashlyn asked, holding her breath as she watched Ali shrug. “Well, if they don’t, that does decrease the chance of a match. We’ll only know with proper testing though. Do you know how to contact her? Or if it's something she'd even be open to?”

“I know where she usually hung out, but have no number or anything…” she trailed off, her mind already racing ahead.

“Does Tyler…know?”

Ali froze, panic racing through her veins and sending chills throughout her body. “He knows he’s adopted, but not…about Connor. She didn’t want him to.”

“I see. Well I guess the first step would be finding her…” she offered.

“I need to book a flight to D.C. today. God I wouldn’t know what to say. What…what would I even say?”

Ashlyn paused for a moment, contemplating her next statement. “I…I actually have a conference in D.C. this weekend,” she began, noting how the brunette’s head whipped up from the ground. “I could....And I mean only if you want…only if you’d be comfortable…Maybe help when I get there?”

Without hesitation, Ali smiled widely. “I would love that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think ;p


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me on this one. I promise we're getting somewhere soon ;)

“There she is! Ali Krieger in the flesh,” said Chris with a chuckle as the brunette defender he had trained for years came sauntering into the gym. It was as warm of a greeting he could muster knowing the circumstances Ali had currently been dealing with and he pulled her tightly into his arms and gave her a tight hug. “How are you holding up, kid?” he asked while pushing her back at arm’s length to examine her closer. Her demeanor was much more solemn than he was used to seeing, but he was glad to see that besides the tired eyes, it didn’t look like she had lost her strong physique.

“Been better,” the defender let out with a cold bite of sarcasm. Chris nodded, knowing that she had more to get out. “Have you seen Cassie lately?” she asked with a hopeful expression that immediately dropped when Chris shook his head.

“I haven’t, Kriegs. It’s been a few months,” he offered as his face knitted in confusion. He knew the story behind how Ali had adopted Tyler and that he was sick in the hospital, but he wasn’t quite sure what the defender was doing there. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the visit, but he could tell that there was more to it. “Why? What’s up?”

Ali let out a sigh and glanced around the gym. There were a few individuals going through their work out programs and Chris immediately sensed her hesitation and nodded to his office. Once inside with the door closed, Ali slumped onto the leather couch that she had spent many afternoons lying and playing with Connor before Tyler had been born and completely changed her life.

“Talk to me, Kriegs,” Chris prompted as he dropped down on the couch next to her.

She timidly met his eyes, already feeling guilty that she hadn’t clued him in on more and began to tell him the whole story of Tyler and the condition that he was really in. Chris sat there listening patiently and thankfully, not holding it against her that it had taken so many months to come clean to him.

“So that’s why you’re here?” he finally asked when Ali finished revealing her last conversation with the blonde doctor.

She nodded and wiped a few stray tears from her rosy cheeks. The office was smaller than she remembered and as she ripped open the old wounds that had been badly sewn shut, she felt it was twenty degrees hotter than normal as well. “Yes. I need to find Cassie and talk to her about this. See if she’s willing to do this and if Connor is too. And none of it matters if he’s not a match anyways.” As she talked her way through it, the task seemed even more daunting.

Chris leaned forward and gently rested his palm on the worked up defender’s arm. She relaxed at the contact and raised her eyes from the floor to meet his gaze. “Hey, what did I tell you when you were coming back from that nasty ACL injury?”

A small laugh rippled from the defender’s chest as she shook her head and remembered the line that Chris would scream at her as she was pushing herself through workouts that at the time seemed impossible. “One day at a time,” she mock yelled, causing Chris to join in on the light laughter.

“Exactly, Kriegs. We’ll take this one day at a time. And you know as always I’ll be here for you every step of the way, okay?”

“Got it,” Ali replied with a nod. “You’re the best, Chris,” she added with a slight hint of remorse. Leaving Chris behind when she moved to Orlando was definitely one of the harder things she had done, seeing as he had pushed her so far and excelled her career after her ACL injury.

Chris waved her off as he pushed up from the couch to grab a hoodie hanging from a hook on the back of his office door. “Anything for you, Kriegs,” he replied as if it was the simplest statement. The defender, while not only being an amazing person and friend, had also done wonders to excel his career as well and he vowed to do whatever he could to help. After pulling the hoodie over his head he shot a glance back at the defender who was sitting on the couch with a confused expression. “What are you waiting for?” he asked with a wide grin while swiping the keys off of his desk. “Let’s get started.”

 

***

 

“I don’t know if we’ll ever find her, Chris,” Ali said in a defeated tone as they left another women’s shelter. “No one has seen her in any of the shelters. We checked the hospitals and with the police too and it’s like she vanished.”

“Maybe we should start asking about Connor,” Chris said with a sigh. It had been three days since they started looking and there had been no trace of Cassie anywhere. Ashlyn was due in that night and Chris knew his defender was getting anxious to find her before the blonde came into town. “Not that I have any idea what he would look like now anyways. I haven’t seen him in years. He must be what? Ten?” he asked no one in particular as he rambled on.

Suddenly, Ali’s eyes lit up and she jumped up from the park bench. “Why didn’t I think of that sooner!” she exclaimed as she yanked a bewildered Chris up from the bench and pulled him towards the car.

“What? Think of what, Ali?” he stuttered, doing his best to regain his footing as he was pulled down the sidewalk.

“He’s almost ten now, Chris! He has to be in school now!” she practically screeched as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and brought up a list of the schools in the area. Assuming that Cassie hadn’t moved out of the area, Ali was sure this was the way to find them.

It wasn’t the first elementary school, or even the second or third or fourth. The fifth school they pulled up to was in a bad area of town, but Ali still hadn’t lost any hope. Even as she walked through the metal detectors that stood before the front doors and handed her purse over to the security guard who gave it a cursory glance, she still didn’t let her mood sway. She marched into the office and began explaining her well rehearsed story to the receptionist who sat at the front desk. The older woman with dark skin and thinning white hair glanced up at her over the brim of her thick glasses, processing the defender’s words. Finally, when Ali had exhausted herself with the long version of the story, the woman nodded as if understanding what the brunette was saying.

“Connor Wilson,” the woman said before typing on the keyboard laid out before her. “432 Hemlock is the address on file.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been MIA for a long time and I'm sorry! My life has been a whirlwind lately, but things have begun to settle. Here's an update and I'm hoping to make them much more frequent as I get back into things. For those who have sent me messages on Tumblr (buffalo1221) and left comments here or just stuck with the story, I really appreciate it. This chapter is a bit slow with a bit of foreshadowing that's going to ramp things up not only in the story, but also between the ladies. Hope you enjoy!

“I don’t want you to get your hopes up,” Ashlyn mumbled quietly before offering the defender a small smile. “Just because she said it’s okay to bring me over to explain it, doesn’t mean she’ll definitely be on board. I can’t sugarcoat it either. She and Connor need to know the consequences that will come if he chooses to be a donor.”

They had been riding for a half hour, mostly in silence for the last fifteen, through the inner city streets of D.C. back to the Wilson household. With the glowing sun hanging just above the horizon line, Ali had picked the doctor up from her hotel the morning after visiting 42 Hemlock and quickly recounted the events that had occurred the prior night when she visited the house on Connor’s file with the school.

Now, as they pulled up to the house where Connor and his mother lived which was located on a rundown street, Ashlyn quickly realized that Ali had certainly downplayed the state of the house. The windows had thick metal bars covering them, though it clearly hadn’t protected them from rocks or bricks or whatever was used to break them, necessitating in the boards patching the broken panes. The wood around the ground was dry-rotted and the white paint that coated the house was in poor condition and peeling up.

As she slid out of the front seat of Ali’s car, she certainly didn’t miss the poignant stares from some neighbors loitering around on their stoops of their porches, most centered around the new BMW model, but others lingering on the sashaying hips of the defender. With the tightening of her jaw and a hard stare back at a particular man leering at the brunette with a nasty smirk, she slipped quickly behind Ali and placed a protective hand on her lower back as she quickly guided her to the front door of the Wilson’s house.

After the second knock, Ali was beginning to wonder if she had remembered the time wrong. She was almost certain that Cassie had said 8am, but as they stood waiting on the rotting front steps, her mind began to doubt itself. “I’m positive she said 8,” she uttered under her breath in a tone of apology as she shot the doctor a soft smile. The last thing she wanted was to waste the blonde’s time when she had so sweetly volunteered it.

“Let’s give it one more try,” she responded, leaning past Ali to knock a bit more soundly on the door. She can easily read the apology on the shorter woman’s face and hoped the louder banging would rouse the residents of the house.

Thankfully, it worked. The door was pulled open by an older gentleman with a graying beard and a beat up Nationals baseball cap. As he eyed the woman, his lips curled up into a smirk and it was almost as if he couldn’t decide where to focus his lewd stares. The teeth that weren’t missing were yellowed and he spoke with a thick accent as he finally addressed them.

“Can I help you?” he asked in a questioning tone while leaning against the door frame on his elbow. His other hand gripped the wooden door tightly as he waited for an answer.

 

“We’re here for Cassie Wilson,” Ashlyn stated firmly as she stepped forward and created a barrier between Ali and the man. “She’s expecting us.”

“And what would the two of you want with Cassie? Is this about that damn boy? He getting’ into trouble again?” His tone was gruff, bordering on agitated as his jaw clenched tight.

Ashlyn was just about to answer when there was a soft voice from behind the man. “Phil, let them in please.”

Form behind him, Ali could make out the frail frame of Cassie and pushed past the man who relented and stepped away from blocking the door. “Cassie,” Ali exhaled happily as she pulled the woman into a tight hug that was willingly reciprocated. Turning, she extended her arm and ushered over the blonde who was patiently waiting a few steps back. “Cassie, this is Doctor Harris. The one I was telling you about last night who is treating Tyler.”

“It’s nice to meet you ma’am,” the rugged doctor said with a kind smile as she extended her arm and gently shook the woman’s hand. “Is there somewhere we could all sit and talk?” she asked, directing her attention solely to the woman before her.

Unfortunately, Phil inserted himself into the conversation and pointed to the makeshift living room. “We can talk in there,” he advised his visitors, before turning and telling Cassie to fetch everyone a glass of lemonade. “Now what can we help you two ladies with?” he asked as they took their seats on a worn down, torn up plaid couch which sat across from a gray loveseat.

“Well uh,” Ali began, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable that Phil was leading the conversation. The prior day Cassie hadn’t mentioned anything about him and Ali didn’t like the way his eyes lit up when he eyed the expensive BMW they pulled up in. Her mind was racing a mile a minute when she felt a gentle hand lay across her leg to settle her nerves. She cast a glance to her left to see the blonde smiling back at her, encouraging her to continue as Cassie finally wandered back into the room with a few drinks in her hands. “My son is in need of a stem cell transport and Connor may be a match,” she said, this time her voice sounding surer. “When I mentioned this to Cassie yesterday and that I had my son, Tyler’s doctor in town as well, she told me to come back today with Dr. Harris to discuss everything in more detail.”

“And what does Connor have anything to do with your boy?” Phil questioned, his eyes narrowing as he glanced back and forth between Ali and his girlfriend who was now shifting uncomfortably on the chair beside him.

Ali cast a glance to Cassie, searching her eyes for some type of permission. She found it in the almost imperceptible nod the woman gave her and took a deep breath before offering up her answer. “Connor is my son’s brother. I adopted him many years ago and he recently developed cancer. He’s being treated in Orlando by Dr. Harris at one of the best facilities in the United States. After a few rounds of chemotherapy, he’s doing better, but a stem cell transplant could increase his chances of survival drastically. The chances that Connor would be a match for Tyler are quite high considering that they have the same father as well. I brought Dr. Harris here to explain what it would entail and discuss some more logistical things.”

As Ali finished her explanation, there was a sudden shift in Phil’s demeanor as his lips curled up. His mind was churning with dollar signs in his eyes. He leaned forward and plucked a chipped glass filled with translucent lemonade from the rickety coffee table separating him from Ali and Ashlyn and took a long sip. His voice finally cut through the silence that had settled into the room after setting his glass down. “By all means then,” he began, gesturing towards the doctor with the most charming smile he could muster, “explain away doctor.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know it's been a while, but things have been quite crazy for me for the last few months. Anyways, here's another update. I'm not sure I'll be able to update every day, but there will be no more months long hiatuses for me. Hope you enjoy and thanks for all your kind words on this story this far :)

“Do you think they’ll go for it?” Ali questioned as she anxiously paced back and forth in her hotel room.

The brunette’s mind was overanalyzing everything and though she had gotten the impression that both Phil and Cassie were okay with speaking to Connor about the testing procedure, Ali couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had settled into her stomach. The talk had seemingly went well, with Cassie and Phil enthusiastically agreeing that the option would be left up to Connor, and that they would discuss it among themselves first before coming to any decision. It had only been an hour since they had returned from the meeting with Tyler’s birth mother, but Ali had already exhausted herself going over every word that had been spoken and tone used.

“Ash?” Ali said, this time with a bit sharper tone.

Ashlyn had been mostly quiet during her rambling and the defender was beginning to get agitated by her lack of input.

The blonde turned her head from the TV and let out a shaky breath. Ashlyn was torn between giving Ali the truth and letting her have hope. The doctor had been through so many countless consultations with potential donors and this one had given her the most uneasy feeling by far. It’s not that she had been ignoring Ali for the last hour, it’s just that she was struggling to formulate the proper response.

“Ashlyn give it to me straight,” the brunette challenge, all but making up the doctor’s mind for her.

The blonde sat up a bit more or the edge of the bed and leveled her gaze with the brunette. “I’m not sure, Alex,” Ashlyn replied lamely. “I got a weird feeling while we were there. Mostly from Phil, Cassie is great,” she quickly adding, not wanting to offend her friend.

“Weird feeling?” Ali questioned, trying to keep a frown from tugging on her lips.

Ashlyn shrugged and slipped off of the brunette’s bed. She trudged over to the mirror and adjusted her bun before turning back to face Ali.

“Yeah a weird feeling,” Ashlyn offered in reply. “I just don’t like that Phil guy. He seems very controlling over Cassie and presumably Connor. I don’t know if he’ll go for it.”

Ali sighed, “He seemed pretty into it when we were talking though.”

Ashlyn knew it was a valid point that the brunette made, but she couldn’t let her get her hopes up that much. There were too many unknowns, to many variables and while she whole heartedly hoped that everything worked out, the doctor didn’t want to guarantee anything.

“There’s no telling if he’s even a match to Tyler, Al,” the blonde replied softly. “And you really think Phil would be okay with Cassie and Connor coming to Florida for everything? I just don’t want you to get too excited is all.”

Ali knew the doctor made logical points. While the likelihood of Connor being a match to Tyler was greater than a random stranger, it still wasn’t a give in. Then there was the issue of Phil. The defender had to agree that he didn’t seem like the type of man that would just willing let his girlfriend take an extended vacation to Florida without him, and if she was being honest, Ali certainly didn’t want the man tagging along. While she would never judge Cassie, as she was one of the strongest women she knew, the brunette did think she could do much better than the rude drunk who didn’t show any respect.

“I guess you’re right,” Ali finally replied, her voice laden with rejection.

Ashlyn was quick to her side, lifting the brunette’s head before it could completely fall. She leveled their gaze and gently wiped a stray tear from the soft brown eyes before it could fall. As she pulled Ali into her arms, a smile instinctively curled up her lips when the defender nuzzled in closer. The floral scent of her shampoo wafted into the blonde’s senses and a contented sigh escaped her. Keeping true to her oath was becoming harder every day. Each passing day that Ashlyn got to know the professional soccer player better was pulling her in deeper and knocking down the little inhibitions that were left. The doctor’s smile grew just a bit bigger when nearly a minute had passed and Ali was still content snuggled in her arms.

Just as she was about to speak, Ashlyn’s stomach let out a rumbling gurgle, causing Ali to pull back and giggle.

“Have you eaten yet today, doc?” the brunette questioned, sadness in her eyes replaced by a slight twinkle.

Ashlyn shook her head and shrugged casually. “ I was a bit busy,” she lamely offered. “Have you?”

The brunette admitted that she hadn’t either and before long, the duo was grabbing their coats to head out for some lunch. Ashlyn had a few hours until she needed to report to her conference and she was excited to just spend some alone time with the mother of her patient. Seeing her as a protective, nurturing mother first, is what had initially drawn her to Ali. As time went on, she became more comfortable around her and her son. While the doctor loved spending time with the little family, she couldn’t argue that alone time with Ali, away from the grind and bustle of the hospital, was certainly welcomed.

“Where to?” Ali questioned, breaking Ashlyn from her daydream thoughts.

The blonde turned and shot her a skeptical look that Ali quickly mirrored.

“Uh, Al…” Ashlyn began. “First of all, you’re driving, “ she chuckled, pointing to Ali sitting in the driver’s seat of the BMW, “and second of all, you’re from here, I’m not.”

Ali let out a small chuckle and threw her hands up in surrender, “Alright you’ve got me on both fronts! I know just the place.”

They drove along the highway for about twenty minutes, Ali zigzagging through traffic in such a haphazard manner that the doctor though she might have a death wish. But when they pulled up at a little burger joint tucked into the side of a large plaza, a smile graced her lips.

“Thank god I made it here in one piece,” Ash breathed a sigh of relief as she clamored out of the car. “I’ve heard such wonderful things about this place and it would have been a shame if I didn’t live to try it.”

Ali rolled her eyes at the blonde’s sarcasm. “Don’t even go there, Harris,” she lightly chastised. “I drove just fine. Those other people were cutting _me_ off.”

“Oh right,” the blonde replied with a sarcastic expression. “The one time you crossed three lanes of traffic without a turn signal was totally because that one guy in the smart car cut you off, huh?”

Ali shot the blonde a glare that quickly shut her up.

“Alright, alight!” Ashlyn snickered and threw her hands up in the air. “I would hate to have made it through the car ride of death only to be killed in the parking lot by a cute little brunette.”

“Asshole,” Ali retorted in a playful tone.

The doctor didn’t feel the smack coming, but she could have guessed one was on her way. She rubbed her arm playfully, pretending the light smack that the defender gave her was actually painful. Deciding to drop the conversation for the moment, the blonde pulled the door to the restaurant open. When Ali didn’t enter, she turned, wondering if the defender was actually mad over the light teasing. Her eyes quickly found Ali standing a few yards behind her with her phone in her hands.

“It’s them,” the brunette whispered in shock, her eyes glued to the phone. “It’s Cassie,” she added, trying to answer the phone with her suddenly trembling hands.

The next minute was absolutely painful for the blonde to watch. While she wanted to ask Ali to put it on speakerphone, or let her listen in, she knew that wasn’t hers to ask. So she was sidelined, just like she had been through two ACL injuries, watching the scene play out before her. Tears were streaming down Ali’s face as she nodded and lightly interjected several times. After what seemed like an eternity, she muttered a tear muddled goodbye and hung up the phone, her hands dropping limply at her sides as she stood silently weeping.

Ashlyn couldn’t take it anymore and rushed over to the brunette, letting the restaurant door slam shut with a loud bang.

“Well?” the doctor questioned just before Ali completely broke down and fell into her arms amid a mess of tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always you can follow me on tumblr at buffalo1221!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the warm welcome back! Glad you guys are still enjoying. Here's another update just because you're all awesome. Happy Friday :)

Two days later, both women were back in Orlando. Ali had flown home Saturday to get back to Tyler, while Ashlyn flew back Sunday night on a red eye after her conference had ended. The blonde was exhausted with bags under her eyes, but her face lit up when a familiar face wandered into her office and shoved a cup of coffee into her hand.

“Thank you,” she mumbled before pulling the lid off the cup to let it cool faster. “You have no idea how much this means to me right now.”

Whitney let out a chuckle and shook her head before plopping down on Ashlyn’s desk. “You looked like you needed it when you wandered in here like a zombie this morning,” she said with a sly smile. “Why are you even in this morning. Your flight didn’t get in until well after midnight.”

Ashlyn covered a yawn with her fist and shrugged, “Just have stuff to do.”

“I’m sure that’s what it is,” Whitney replied sarcastically. “I’m sure it has nothing to do with a certain brunette and her foul mouthed child.”

Dr. Engen was barely able to avoid the wadded up ball of paper that was thrown in her direction. Her blonde friend rolled her eyes before taking a sip of the coffee.

“Maybe,” Ashlyn smirked, more and more unable to hide her true feelings for Ali, though Whit had called them from the start.

Grabbing her own coffee off the desk beside her, Whit turned and sank into a chair across from the blonde. Her finger ran around the rim before she found the courage to ask what she was really wondering.

“How…how did everything go this weekend?” Whitney asked before leaning back in her seat and crossing her legs as she waited for an answer.

Ashlyn sighed and set her cup down. It was a straightforward question, but the answer was far from simple. Her conference was great, but she knew that wasn’t what Whitney was asking. The sandy haired woman wanted the details on a certain brunette, even though Ashlyn didn’t have it quite figured out herself.

“It was…” she began before there was a knock on the door.

Both women turned to see Ali standing in the door frame with two cups of coffee in her hand. The brunette took one glance inside and saw Whitney and Ashlyn both with their own cups already, it what seemed to be an important conversation.

“Sorry!” she chirped, embarrassed that she had interrupted them.

The truth was that she really needed to talk to Ashlyn, but certainly hadn’t wanted to interrupt the friend. Ali turned to leave when she heard a chair screech across the floor, followed shortly by another.

“No, we we’re just finishing up anyways,” Whit stated before shooting a wink in the blonde’s direction. “See you later for lunch, Harris!” she added, not wanting Ashlyn to think she was getting out of the conversation.

“Are you sure?” Ali asked as Whit slipped by her into the hallway, but both doctors nodded in confirmation.

Ashlyn waved Ali into the office and she complied, shutting the door gently behind her. She walked over to the blonde and extended the cup of coffee.

“I brought you reinforcements,” Ali said, nodding towards the cup already sitting on the doctor’s desk.

The blonde smiled and thanked Ali while taking the cup from her hand and setting it beside the other one. Truth be told, she’d probably have them both downed in the next half hour.

“So what do I owe the honor?” Ashlyn gently teased as she looked back towards the brunette.

Ali sighed and sank down in the arm chair in front of the desk.

“What am I even going to tell Tyler?” Ali questioned a moment later as she gripped her cup tightly.

Through all of the events that had occurred over the weekend, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to form an explanation for the small boy. They had slowly mended their relationship over the last few months and Ali thought this would just bring them back to square one. Tyler would just think once again that she let him down.

The doctor pondered Ali’s question for a moment, knowing there were several ways she could play this. One was from the standpoint of a doctor, the other from a, well…friend? While it felt like they were more than that, teetering so delicately on the line of friendship and intimacy, that’s really all she could call Ali at the moment.

“I think you just need to be honest and upfront about everything. You can’t lie to him and he can’t you for trying,” the blonde offered cautiously as she tried to read Ali’s reaction.

“Ashlyn, he won’t understand. It’ll just be another line in the saga of how I’m a terrible mother and let him down,” Ali countered with a hint of bite in her tone.

“Al, he can’t be mad at you for this,” the blonde replied.

“I didn’t even tell him he had a brother, Ash!” Ali challenged, her voice raising a bit. Guilt flooded her body and she quickly muttered an apology, “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have yelled like that.”

Knowing that emotions were running high, Ashlyn just shrugged it off, “You just need to tell him, Ali. Just go in there and tell him.”

Ali scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Just go in there and tell him? Tell him that I spoke to a brother he didn’t even know he had and that he’s flying here as we speak to begin tests?”

“Yeah,” Ashlyn replied stoically, falling back into doctor mode. “That’s all you need to do.”

Seeing Ashlyn talking so reasonably about it calmed Ali’s nerves a bit and she settled back into the chair.

“Will…will you go with me?” she asked, immediately regretting asking the doctor such a thing.

Before she had a chance to retract her offer, Ashlyn had already accepted it. With a nod, the blonde pushed out of her chair, grabbed her cup of coffee and Ali’s hand and let her towards the door. She dropped the defender’s hand when they entered the hallway, but Ali could tell that she was walking closer than she would with any other patient’s mother, occasionally bumping her shoulder and offering a reassuring smile. They paused outside Tyler’s room, Ashlyn holding in a laugh when she heard Tyler shouting at the TV which must have been playing a funny movie.

“You ready?” Ashlyn asked, waiting until Ali nodded in confirmation to push open the door.

“ASH!” came an excited little boy’s voice a second before a tiny body hurled himself at the doctor. “I missed you!” Tyler added, his smile growing larger when he saw his mother standing behind the blonde. “Hey mom,” he chirped, offering his mother a wave that made Ashlyn chuckle.

“Ty, can we talk to you for a minute,” Ali replied as she made her way further into the room.

Tyler nodded and sat down on his bed, patting beside him. Over his time in the hospital he had come to learn that conversations like this were usually negative and he knew if it was bad news that his mother would need comfort too.

“What’s up?” he asked tentatively once Ali had settled onto the bed as Ash leaned against the small dresser across from the bed.

“Do you remember when we talked about finding a stem cell transplant donor?” she questioned, continuing on when her son nodded. “Well we might have a match. There’s a boy coming here to get tested to see.”

“Okay,” Tyler replied, confused as to why they were telling him this.

Ali had expected there to be more questions, but it seemed that Tyler was more confused than anything. His lack of replies wasn’t making it any easier on her.

“Regardless of whether or not he’s a match, I think maybe you would want to meet him.”

Tyler stared at her blankly, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “Um…why?”

“Tyler,” Ali began, taking a deep breath that provided little comfort. “He’s…he’s your older brother.”

“What?” Tyler questioned, his voice raising a bit as his blank stare turned a bit more into a glare.

With a nod of support from Ashlyn, Ali unleashed the entire story. She explained the situation to Tyler, how she had met Cassie, how she had gotten to know Connor a bit and helped them out, and how Tyler had come to be her son. The whole time Tyler sat there taking everything in, refraining from commenting at all until Ali had finally finished the story, wrapping it up with a short explanation of what had occurred the past weekend. It was time for him to finally know the truth, the whole truth.

They sat in silent for a minute, Ali praying that he would say something at least. After another minute of quiet, he turned and shot a glance at Ashlyn.

“You knew about him too?” he asked, his voice sounding more hurt than accusatory.

The doctor was forced to nod, feeling her heart clench just as Tyler’s fists did.

“Get out,” he grumbled angrily in the blonde’s direction.

“Tyler!” Ali chastised just before he turned and glared at her.

“You too. Both of you. Get out,” Tyler said, more firmly this time as he pointed to the door.

“We’re not going anywhere, Tyler,” Ali replied, trying to put her hand on her son’s knee. “We need to talk about this.”

He quickly pushed it off and stood up from the bed, “I hate you!” he screamed. “I hate both of you!” he added in the blonde’s direction before storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, you can follow me on tumblr at buffalo1221.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting into the thick of things now!

“Tyler!” Ali called down the hallway as she chased her son out of the room.

Her had a minutes head start, but Ali was confident she could catch him. While she wanted to give him space to cool off, Ali knew she couldn’t have Tyler running aimlessly around the hospital. It wasn’t safe for him and for the other patients and the defender didn’t want to cause any trouble. Her mind was racing, trying to catch up with the thoughts that were swirling around. Really, she should have expected this type of outcome. The trust between the them was still being repaired and this huge omission that he had a full-blooded brother was just another dagger driving the mother and son apart.

“Tyler!” Ali called again, “Wait up!”

The defender’s legs carried her around the corner where she was abruptly halted as she ran into the back of a man who was bending over.

“Tyler,” she breathed out under her breath when she saw her son standing on the other side of the man playing with a toy car that Ali was certain wasn’t his. Her son looked like he was enjoying his time, but Ali really needed to talk everything through with him before the visitors arrived. “Ty, give this nice man his toy back and we can go back to your room and talk.”

“Yeah, Tyler,” came a familiar voice that Ali could quite place. “You should listen to your mommy, son,” he added while standing up.

Ali’s confused expression immediately became steely as the man turned to face her. Phil. She instinctively grabbed Tyler’s arm and pulled the young boy to her side, stepping in front of him protectively as the man smirked back at her.

“Phil, what are you doing here?” she asked, clearly under the impression that Cassie and Connor would be making the trip alone.

It was evident in his smug grin that Phil knew exactly what Ali was thinking. He patted Tyler’s head a bit excessively, offering the boy a bright smile that only Ali could tell was riddled with mischief.

“Thought I’d make the trip down here too,” Phil offered with a casual shrug. “Cute kid,” he continued, nodding in Tyler’s direction. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of you two,” the sneering man added before tossing the car into Tyler’s outstretched hands. “Keep it, champ.”

“Who was that man?” Tyler questioned as Phil retreated down the hall.

Ali was at a loss for words as she tried to figure out how to explain who Phil actually was. The encounter had made her uneasy, as had the way Phil looked at Tyler throughout. He looked, almost possessive and it gave Ali an uncomfortable feeling.

“Let’s just go back to your room and finish our talk, honey,” the brunette finally replied as she led her reluctant son back to the room.

When they reentered the room, Ali was disappointed that Dr. Harris was no longer in there propped up in her usual spot. She couldn’t blame Ashlyn. The blonde likely had to take care of another patient or simply decided that she didn’t want to deal with an angry child that she really had no formal claim to. Still, Ali couldn’t fight the way her stomach sank when she realized that she was once again left to parent her unruly child on her own. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t even hear Tyler ask the question.

“Hello?” Tyler said in an annoyed tone, upset that his mother was ignoring him.

“Sorry sweetie,” Ali replied as she came to. “What did you ask?”

“When is my brother going to get here?” Tyler repeated in a clipped tone.

Ali sighed, “Apparently they’re already here,” she offered. “That man from the hallway is you birth mother’s boyfriend.”

“My dad?” Tyler perked up. “I get to meet real my mom _and_ my dad?

Immediately Ali felt the guilt surge in, followed by the hurt of the word _real_. Tyler had been so hopeful that he would not only meet his brother, but also his mother and father. The realization that she was about to break her son’s heart didn’t sit well with her, but she had to be done lying.

“He’s not your father, Ty. Just Cassie’s boyfriend. His name is Phil.”

“Oh,” the young boy sighed and dropped back down into his bed. “Well when can I meet my mother and brother?”

Ali took a deep breath before delivering the next words.

“Tyler, your birth mother wants to stay out of the meeting. She’d like to keep her distance.”

The hurt on her son’s face was immediately evident. Ali could tell her was trying to fight back the tears as he bit his trembling bottom lip.

“Oh,” was all Tyler said before pulling the covers up over him.

“It doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love you, honey,” Ali said gently, making her way over to the bed. She ignored her own hurt when Tyler pushed her hand away when she rested it on his arm.

“Yeah, she loved me so much that she decided to give me to some random stranger that pitied her. She still doesn’t want to meet me even though I’m dying. Obviously she really loves me,” Tyler scoffed, his fists clenched tightly. “I wasn’t good enough for her then and I’m still not. But my brother was and still is. Whatever. I don’t want to meet either of them anymore,” he said angrily, the tears now spilling down his reddened cheeks.

“Oh, Ty,” Ali replied gently, her own heart clenched as tight as Tyler’s fists. “That’s not how it is at all, baby,” she cooed, gently rubbing his back that was heaving with sobs. “This isn’t easy on anyone.”

“Says the moms who aren’t the ones dying in this hospital bed!” Tyler countered, suddenly shrugging Ali’s hand off of his back. “Just leave.”

Ali sighed and placed her rejected hand into her lap, “Tyler,” she began before she was cut off by her angry little boy.

“Please leave, mom. I just want to be alone right now.”

It broke Ali’s heart to see her little boy in such pain. Not only was it physical pain, but now it was also emotional. She wanted to explain to him the intricacies of the relationship, the state of mind that Cassie was in going through the whole adoption process, and even now, but she knew her son was in no place to listen and maybe he just wasn’t old and mature enough to comprehend it anyways. Sometimes after everything he’d been through in the last few months, Ali forgot that he was just a little boy. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. She knew exactly what a little boy would need in this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas on what Phil might be up to? Or do you think he's just a shady jerk in general?


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you guys might like this one. Things are moving along ;)

A light knock on the door brought Tyler’s attention from his brooding state. He glanced to his right and waved the visitor in.

“What do you want?” he mumbled as the familiar blonde doctor wandered into the room.

“I just came to check on you,” Ashlyn replied as she plopped down into the plush chair beside his bed. “Your mom said you were pretty upset and maybe you wanted to talk to someone who wasn’t her.”

Tyler huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, “I don’t want to talk to you either.”

Ashlyn took a moment to stare at the gloomy child. She felt bad that he was so upset, but could see the reasons behind it. The kid had been dealt a rough hand initially and was finding out large bits of his identity as time went on. While he wasn’t quite old enough to understand the reasons behind his mother’s actions, he was old enough to be upset by it.

“Well you might not want to talk to me, but you should at least apologize to your mother,” she began before the little boy vehemently cut her off.

“Why should I apologize to her? She lied to me!” he interjected angrily.

The boy had a point, but Ashlyn had entered the room on a mission and was planning on sticking to it.

“Your mom is trying really hard here, TJ,” the blonde replied, using her nickname for him to soften Tyler's resolve. “She’s doing whatever she can to make sure you get better.”

This seemed to soften the boy a bit as he remembered everything Ali had done and sacrificed since he had been hospitalized. Ashlyn could pick up on the way his shoulders slumped a bit in embarrassment and was quick to jump in.

“Maybe if you just apologized you two could talk everything out,” she casually offered, not expecting the reaction that followed.

“Me apologize?” he replied incredulously. “She’s the one keeping things from me!”

Ashlyn sighed while throwing her hands up in defense, “You shouldn’t talk to her like that tough.” Watching his jaw set, the doctor tried another approach, “I’ll play you for it?”

This piqued the boy’s interest and he turned to finally meet her gaze. “Huh?” he questioned with confusion etched in his soft features.

“I’ll play you in FIFA. If I win you have to apologize to your mother,” Ashlyn replied.

“And when I win?” Tyler countered, confident in his abilities.

“ _If_ you win, and a tie doesn’t count,” the blonde responded skeptically and then paused, unsure of what she could offer in return.

“If I win, you have to take me and my mom out to dinner,” Tyler finished for her, causing the doctor’s eyes to immediately go wide.

“Wha…what?” Ashlyn replied, thinking she must have heard him wrong.

A sly grin crossed Tyler’s face as he eyed the blushing blonde. As much as he was upset at the moment, he really did enjoy spending time with the blonde. He looked forward to her checking up on him and felt special when Ashlyn would come in and watch TV or surf videos with him. Still, Tyler knew he wasn’t the sole cause for those visits. He saw how well his mom and Dr. Harris got along, how his mother smiled just a bit brighter after the doctor left or how his mother perked up as soon as the blonde entered the room. He may be a kid, but he wasn’t dumb.

“When I win you have to take us out on a date,” he repeated, making sure to enunciate every word in his request.

“I…um…” the blonde stammered, unsure how to even respond. “I can’t…” she finally got out, before Tyler again cut her off.

“Then don’t let me win,” he said with a shrug before hopping out of bed and brushing past the blonde. “You coming?” the patient asked from the door frame with a smirk.

Confident that she wouldn’t lose to a kid, Ashlyn nodded. “You have no chance,” she replied, taking a few strides to catch up to him as they headed to the Play Room in the middle of the pediatric wing.

Once they had settled into the big couch that sat about fifteen feet from the flat screen TV, the tension kicked up a notch. It started with a confrontation for who got to play which team. The doctor mistakenly went to pick the USWNT as her team, only to hear a scoff escape the boy’s mouth.

“You can’t be them,” Tyler stated simply. “Only I can.”

Ashlyn’s eyes narrowed a bit, “Why?”

“Because my mom is on the team,” the boy countered, as if that was the end all be all. “You can be Canada or something.”

A look of disdain crossed the blonde’s face. “Canada? Ew. No,” she retorted, her nose scrunched in disgust as she scrolled through the other available teams. “I’ll be Germany. That was my favorite place to visit.”

“Whatever,” Tyler shrugged indifferently, just happy that he had gotten his way. The USWNT was the highest ranked team and the boy knew it gave him an edge. A slight edge, but an advantage nonetheless.

Ashlyn finally realized the implications of her bet with Tyler after he scored the first goal on her ten minutes into the match. It was a volley that rocketed into the upper 90, a result of a perfectly placed cross.

“Told you I’m good,” Tyler teased, his eyes still locked on the TV screen though Ashlyn could see the corner of his smirk.

“It’s not over til it’s over,” the blonde countered, though she could feel herself starting to sweat a bit.

She honestly hadn’t expected Tyler to be this good and the repercussions of her bet with him were beginning to sink in. Her offer of the FIFA game was simply a way to get him to apologize to Ali. Ashlyn certainly hadn’t expected there was a possibility she would lose since she played with her friends so often. Panic was starting to set in as they neared halftime. It was definitely against hospital policy to take her patient and his mom out on a date, no matter how much she wanted to. Still, Tyler was dealing with trust issues and what would happen if the doctor told him she couldn’t live up to her end of the bet? Surely that wouldn’t sit well with Tyler. The blonde’s mind was reeling as the game continued past halftime, drawing closer and closer to the final whistle.

With two minutes left, in the game, Celia Sasic was dragged down in the box by none other than Alexandra Krieger.

“Dammit!” Tyler shouted as the ref pointed to the penalty spot, ignoring the poignant glare he got from the blonde for his language. “There’s no way that was a foul!” he argued, though the replay clearly showed his mom’s avatar grabbing the German’s jersey and pulling her to the ground.

“Uh ohhhh,” Ashlyn teased, as she lined up to take the PK.

The blonde doctor breathed a sigh of relief, until she heard the next words that came out of Tyler’s voice.

“If I win, you have to take _just_ my mom out on a date,” he uttered in a mumble distinctly similar to his mother’s.

Ashlyn pretended she hadn’t heard it, though they both knew she had. Her palms were sweating as she took a few deep breaths, wondering how to play this. On one hand, she could nail the PK and win which would mean Tyler would apologize and Ali would be happy. On the other, she could purposely miss it and then she’d be _forced_ to take the beautiful soccer player out, which she assumed, would make them both happy. But would it?

“Any day now, doc,” Tyler teased, giving the doctor a light jostle with his elbow.

Pushing her thoughts, doubts and desires aside, Ashlyn refocused on the game. She lined up, clicked her controller a few times, and drilled the PK bottom right. It easily slipped past the goalkeeper as time expired. As her players streamed out onto the field in celebration, Ashlyn couldn’t fight the slight disappointment housed in her chest.

“Really?” Tyler whined, thinking his change in the bet would surely have rattled the doctor who obviously was attracted to his mother.

Ashlyn sighed and ruffled his hair, “An apology and for you two to be okay is what your mother really wants,” she admitted, a twang of sadness in her voice. “Now go apologize and talk with her, buddy.”

Tyler grumbled a few words before slipping off the couch and wandered into the hallway where he quickly found his mother.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered sincerely, instantly seeing the redness in his mother’s eyes from her tears. “I don’t hate you.”

“Oh baby it’s okay,” Ali cooed as she knelt down and swept her son into her arms. “I’m not mad at you,” she added comfortingly, her eyes lifting to give the blonde standing in the doorframe a thankful, knowing nod.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think you guys might like this one ;)

Ashlyn was surprised a few minutes later when there was a knock on her door. It was honestly the last person she expected to see in the hospital, let alone knocking on her office door. Her jaw clenched a bit, but the blonde remained professional and waved the man in.

“Phil,” she began in as cheery a voice she could muster, “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

The man rolled his eyes and plopped down on the seat in front of the blonde’s desk, propping his feet up on the other chair. “That seems to be a common theme today,” he sneered, golden and rotting teeth on full display. “That Ali girl said the same thing. I’m not sure why you think I wouldn’t come out here to support my family.”

The man’s statement nearly made Ashlyn gag. She could hear the sarcasm dripping off his words and honestly wished she didn’t have to remain cordial with the man who almost seemed to be gloating. Of course, why wouldn’t he take the free vacation to Orlando on Ali’s dime? They should have seen it coming.

“Well to what do I owe the honor?” Ashlyn asked, wanting to speed the interaction up as quickly as possible.

Phil smiled as he looked down at his fingers and began picking bits of dirt out from underneath his nails. His mind was in a devious place after what he had just realized and honestly he just wanted to play with the doctor a bit. He stood and turned, making his way to the back of the blonde’s office where a wide, wooden filing cabinet sat. Atop the cabinet was an assortment of pictures frames that Phil took an immediate interest in.

“Beautiful family,” he said, putting on a charming façade as he picked up the frame and ran his fingers over it.

Ashlyn’s eyes narrowed a bit and she rounded her desk. Phil’s eyes settled on a different frame and he picked it up in his grimy hands.

“That your kid?” he asked with interest, pointing to a sweet, chubby cheeked baby that the blonde was holding on the beach.

The doctor shook her head, and pulled the frame from his hands. “No, that’s my nephew,” she bit back and set the bamboo framed photo back down on the cabinet. “Can I help you with something?”

“I just wanted to ask about the procedure a bit. I really wanted to make sure that Connor wouldn’t be in too much pain. He seems worried, so I just wanted to be able to reassure him,” Phil replied, his voice sounding too concerned to be genuine.

Biting back the true comments she wanted to reply with, Ashlyn rounded her desk so that the large oak desk was between them again. Phil had turned, interest with the photographs gone as he played the role of concerned step-dad.

“If he’s a match and agrees, it will be slightly painful. He will have anesthesia and other drugs to make him as comfortable as possible though,” she replied in a professional tone. “If you’d like I can have a meeting with the three of you to discuss everything in more detail once we get the test results back.”

Phil shook his head with his hands up in the air before him, “No, no. That’s really all I was wondering, doc. I’ll be sure to pass it all along.”

With her eyebrows knit together, Ashlyn nodded. “Alright. Well I’ll see you later this afternoon for the results,” she said in an attempt to dismiss him.

Luckily, Phil seemed completely disinterested in the conversation and simply nodded. “Have a great afternoon, doc,” he said with a fake smile plastered on his face before making his way out of the room.

Once Phil was gone, the blonde sunk down in her chair and dropped her head into her palms. The whole interaction had her confused and had blown through the free time she had planned on using to analyze what was going on between her and the brunette. Ashlyn had paused too long when Tyler changed the bet and she knew it. More than anything, she wanted to shank the PK and ease into a playful discussion with Ali about getting dinner since she lost the bet to Tyler. On the other hand, she knew it was certainly against hospital policies and the oath she had taken, despite her strong feelings for the brunette. But what was the harm? Ashlyn knew it would never affect the treatment she gave Tyler, even if things went awry. Her mind was still swirling a minute later when there was another knock on the door.

“Do you need something else, Phil?” she asked in an annoyed tone, only to lift her head and see the object of her thoughts standing in the doorway.

“Phil?” Ali asked with a confused expression as Ashlyn waved her in.

The blonde shrugged it off, not wanting to rattle Ali. The brunette was already immensely nervous about whether Connor was a match and Ashlyn didn’t need to let her in on the uneasiness she was feeling.

“He just came in asking a little about the procedure,” Ashlyn replied nonchalantly, thankful that Ali seemed to accept her explanation. “So do what do I owe the pleasure?” the doctor added, wondering why Ali was in her office in the first place.

Ali took a few steps into the spacious corner office and shut the door softly behind her. She turned to face Ashlyn with a timid smile on her face. There was something in the brunette’s eyes that Ashlyn had never witnessed before and it caused the blonde hair on the back of her neck to stand up.

Ali paused for a moment considering her options before finally replying, “I…I just wanted to thank you for playing with Tyler and cheering him up. Also, for having him apologize to me.”

The brunette lost her nerve and turned, wandering over to the spotless window that overlooked the expansive city that stretched out beneath them. Cars and people littered the streets below and watching the ebb and flow of traffic calmed the brunette’s nerves as the doctor approached and sidled up next to her.

“Of course,” Ashlyn replied timidly, unsure of what Ali was trying to get at. “I know you wanted Tyler to apologize and beating him at FIFA wasn’t that hard,” the blonde added with a chuckle that even she thought sounded nervous. “I was glad to beat him and help you out.”

“Even with the alternative that Tyler posed?” Ali quipped, her own eyes going wide at the implications of her questions.

She turned and met Ashlyn’s eyes which were equally as wide. “Oh…um…” Ashlyn fumbled, not knowing that Ali had been watching their game from the doorway the whole time. “I…”

Ali could tell the blonde was at a loss for words, and honestly, the defender was always better with actions than words to begin with. She closed the gap between them, pulling the doctor towards her by a fistful of her button up. Their eyes searched each other’s for any hesitation, but before the doubts crept in, Ali acted on the urge that had been driving her for months now.

“I would have been happier with this,” the brunette whispered honestly before closing the distance between them, his fist clenching tighter around the blonde’s shirt like she was afraid if she didn’t grip hard enough, Ashlyn would pull away.

It was gentle and first, as the two women’s lips pressed lightly together, but all it took was a few seconds of Ali’s warm, soft lips pressed against her own for Ashlyn to be spurred into action. It felt so perfect and honestly Ashlyn couldn’t believe that anything that felt so right, could be bad. They were grown adults making decisions and from the way the brunette’s fingers wove into the blonde tendrils at the base of her neck, Ashlyn knew Ali was all in as well. All hesitation and reservations gone, the blonde circled her hands around Ali’s toned waist and pulled the soccer player tighter to her, guiding her tongue into the brunette’s mouth. They stayed locked in an embrace, their tongues dancing slowly together with no fear of the future or what this was going to mean. Both women wanted more, as evident by the soft moans and sighs escaping from their throats and the way Ashlyn pressed her body into Ali’s, pinning her firmly against the window, but knew in the moment that it was more than enough.

Usually the dominant one, Ashlyn was surprised how assertive Ali was as she pushed the blonde back off of her, backing her towards the desk and pressing her toned body against the blonde’s. Ash should have expected it from the way Ali was domineering and aggressive on the field, but feeling the brunette pin her to her own desk, was something else entirely. It set off a fire inside of the blonde that she didn’t even know was possible. While the brunette lavished kisses down the blonde’s neck, Ashlyn quickly realized that she wanted Ali, no, needed Ali in a way that she had never felt before.

“I need you,” Ashlyn whispered hotly in the brunette’s ear before she could stop herself.

Ali pulled back, her eyes wild with desire, though a bit wide, her mouth open and poised for a response when there was a knock on the door.

The women ripped apart, Ashlyn quickly brushing down her shirt as the door swung open and Dr. Engen walked in. She eyed the two women with a knowing smirk. Ali’s hair was disheveled, the blonde’s shirt un-tucked and both of their chests were heaving, cheeks flushed a bright red from either embarrassment or desire.

Ashlyn expected a good natured ribbing, maybe even a lecture to ‘keep it professional in the hospital’, but the words that left Whit’s mouth next sent her mind reeling in a whole other direction.

“Test results are in and the family is waiting in their room,” the younger doctor mumbled, extending a file folder in her hand. “And you have lipstick on your face,” she added with a tight lipped smile and nod before passing the folder off. “Room 205,” Whitney added before descending down the hall without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can follow me on tumblr at buffalo1221


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait. Life's taken an interesting turn, but I'm still trying to find some time to get to writing so I can finish this up for anyone whose still following along!! :)

The wait for Ashlyn to come back to Tyler’s room was never-ending. Ali’s heart was racing a million miles a minute for so many reasons. Her mind was still swirling from the steamy interaction with the doctor moments before, but the focus of her thoughts had immediately shifted to the fact that the results were in.

This was it. This was Tyler’s main chance to find a transplant match. If not, it meant weeks, months, maybe even years on a waiting list. Her palms were sweaty as she walked beside her son, thankful for the moment that Ashlyn wasn’t with them. Everything was so overwhelming and she just needed some time with her son.

“You ready for this, baby?” Ali asked, glancing down at her son sitting in his bed, who by all evidences had forgiven her for the time being.

Tyler shrugged, his hand clenched tightly in Ali’s as they waited for the doctor to come in, “Is my brother going to come in here too?”

Ali shook her head and squeezed his hand back. “No they are getting the results first and then, Ashyl- Dr. Harris is going to come here and let us know what’s going on.”

“Okay,” Tyler sighed, and Ali couldn’t get a read on how he really felt.

She was just about to ask, when there was a knock on the door and Ashlyn cracked the door open. A small smile was painted on her lips, though Ali couldn’t tell if it was excited or apologetic. “Hey,” the blonde said softly as she slipped into the room and closed the door softly behind her. “How are you two doing?” she asked, her eyes glued solely on Tyler though, since she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact with the brunette.

“So what’s up?” Tyler questioned while leaning forward in bed, his impatience getting the better of him, though no one could blame him.

Knowing that it wasn’t the time to scold him on manners, Ali let him slide and shot a soft smile at the blonde. “We’re okay. What are the results?”

Ashlyn took a few steps closer and leaned against the oak dresser with crossed arms, the file folder with results tucked under her arm. “He’s a match,” she began, “adding, and they have agreed to go forward with the procedure.”

“Oh my god!” Ali exclaimed excitedly as she pulled her son into her arms. Though the battle was still not over, she could feel relief flooding through her body. Tyler’s chances of staying in remission had just grown exponentially. “Seriously?” she asked, needing clarification, certainty. It had been a long road and she couldn’t handle getting her hopes up, only to be shot down again.

The blonde nodded, her smile growing bigger as she read to pure ecstasy on Ali’s face. “Yes, I just left the room. I informed them that Connor was in fact a match and then explained the procedure thoroughly. Phil, Cassie and Connor all agreed to it. The procedure is already going through processing to be scheduled next week.”

Ali’s smile grew ten-fold when she felt Tyler hug her back, his lanky arms pulling her in closer as he let out a shaky breath. It reminded her that despite the rocky relationship they had gone through, her baby boy was still there. He was still hurting and scared and she needed to be there for him more than ever. That meant having a particular discussion with a particular doctor.

“Can I meet him?” she heard, pulling back to meet Tyler’s gaze. “Can I meet my brother?” he asked again, clarifying his desire.

“Why don’t you watch some TV and I’ll go see what I can do, okay?” Ali replied, her hand brushing over the prickly hairs that were beginning to grow in again.

Tyler nodded as Ali tucked him into the sheets better before ushering her and the blonde out of the room. Ashlyn was poised to continue walking towards Connor’s room when a light grip on her arm stopped her in her tracks a few doors down from Tyler’s room.

“Can we talk for a moment?” Ali asked, her eyes lifting to tentatively meet the doctor’s gaze. Ashlyn turned to face her and nodded, so the defender continued. “About what happened earlier,” she began, keeping her voice low so none of the nurses or other patients could overhear.

“Ali, I-“ the blonde began, in an attempt to confess how strongly she really felt for her patient’s mother, before Ali cut her off with a wave.

“Ashlyn it can’t happen,” the brunette asserted with all the firmness she could muster. It took everything in her, but she knew that she had to refocus on Tyler, and that meant that her relationship with the blonde needed to be quickly redefined – to friends. “I need to focus on Tyler right now and that means no distractions. He really likes you and looks up to you and I can’t have our relationship issues get in the way of that. I can’t let you jeopardize your job either. There are more important things…”

Ashlyn’s heart stopped in her chest, her throat became dry as she bit her bottom lip, subconsciously nodding along to everything Ali was saying, though it was the opposite of everything she wanted. She wanted Ali. She wanted to be there for Tyler. She wanted to see him get better and do things outside the hospital with the two of them. She wanted to have the type of family that she had always dreamed of, and thought she could have found that with Ali and Tyler. But instead of fighting for it, she simply nodded along, knowing that the professional side of her had to win out on this one. There was some solace in the fact that she was doing her job, just as she should, putting the patient first, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

When Ashlyn could finally form a coherent sentence, she nodded, placing a hand on Ali’s arm to stop her incessant rambling, “Okay.”

Ali looked back at Ashlyn, eyebrows knitted together.

“You’re right. It shouldn’t have happened. And it won’t happen again,” the blonde asserted, perhaps more strongly than necessary.

The finality in the blonde’s statement stung a bit, but Ali was forced to remember that this is what she had just asked for. She wanted space and to just be friends, and apparently that was all the blonde wanted as well. Her mind was spinning, focus on the task at hand already blurred.

“I need to go see Cassie and Connor,” Ali replied, regaining her focus now that things had been settled with the blonde. “Room 205?” she asked.

Ashlyn nodded and shifted awkwardly on her heels, “Do you want me to come with you?” she asked hesitantly.

“I think I need to handle this mother to mother,” Ali retorted, unaware that her words seemed harsh to the blonde who was still reeling from the previous encounter.

“Oh…okay,” Ashlyn replied, forcing a smile.

The doctor gave an awkward wave and pointed down the hall to where she could find the room she was looking for. After a fumbling goodbye, she turned to walk back to her office. She was halfway down the hall when her head whipped around at Ali’s call.

“Pizza in Ty’s room later tonight?” the brunette asked, a glowing white smile gracing her lips.

“Wouldn’t miss it!” the blonde called down the hallway, her smile growing as well as she gave Ali a thumbs up before watching her slip into Connor’s room . 

Maybe things would be alright after all.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an update for everyone. Thanks for the encouragement and kind words. Unfortunately, I'll be out of the county for a week so an update will have to wait until I'm back! Hopefully this isn't toooo big of a cliffhanger :p

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Ali asked, her hand on Tyler’s back as they stood before the door that was separating Tyler from the brother he never knew he had.

The boy nodded, pulling a deep breath into his chest before letting out an exasperated exhale. “I think so, yeah,” he mumbled before rubbing his sweaty palms on his pants.

A million thoughts were flooding his mind, but the waiting game was killing him and he grasped the handle, turning the knob and thrusting the door open before he could have a second thought. The door flung, smacking into the wall with a loud thud.

Tyler, eyes wide open in surprise, glanced into the illuminated room and his eyes landed on a boy that by every means was familiar. It was uncanny how much the two looked alike, something that Ali had never realized until she saw them side by side.

“Ali!” exclaimed Connor, hopping out of the bed he was sitting in before taking a few bounding leaps to greet her.

Shocked that Connor remembered her so strongly, Ali returned his hug, before pulling back a bit and meeting Tyler’s hesitant gaze. “Tyler, honey, this is your brother Connor,” she said, taking a step back to let the boys great each other.

It was just the three of them in the room, Cassie opting not to be a part of the introduction. Ali was hoping she would eventually come around, for both her and Tyler’s sake, but she knew she couldn’t force the woman. The brunette took another step back, her heart rate rising a bit as she watched the two boys, mirror images of each other really, stare tentatively at each other.

“Hey,” Connor said, a smile crossing the boys lips as he eyed his little brother for the first time.

Tyler’s smile grew as well and he cast a glance to Ali who nodded approval and gave him a reassuring nod. The defender fought to keep the tears from running down her face as she witnessed their first encounter.

“Hey,” the younger of the boys said a bit shyly, unsure how to act around his big brother.

“I like your shirt,” Connor finally said, glancing at the US Soccer shirt that Tyler was sporting, essentially what his entire wardrobe was made of.

It was as if a match was struck and Tyler came exploding out of his shy shell. “Thanks!” he said with a beaming smile, glad to have something to talk about. “My mom plays on the team,” he added, throwing a slight nod in Ali’s direction.

“I know, my mom and I try to follow her games as much as possible,” Connor offered, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his loose jeans after sweeping a wisp of hair out of his face. “I even play the women’s FIFA version sometimes,” he offered in a secretive whisper, “but don’t tell my friends that.”

Tyler laughed, his eyes lighting up in excitement that his big brother was just as cool as he had anticipated and hoped for. “Me too!” he said excitedly. “They have the game in the Play Room. Wanna play a game or two?” he asked, but really, his question was directed towards Ali to obtain permission.

The brunette nodded in unison with Connor. ”Yeah you two can go play a couple games, but you can _only_ go there and back. I don’t want you two wandering about,” she ordered, feeling the ramifications of what having two mischievous boys would have been like. She could only imagine how Cassie would have dealt with both of them. “I’ll come by and check on you two in a little bit.”

“Awesome! Don’t worry Ali, I’ll watch him!” Connor said as he grabbed his hat off the dresser and followed Tyler out the door.

Their laughter rang throughout the hallway and they raced towards the Play Room, a smile curling up on the brunette’s lips as her heart filled with joy. Not only had Tyler and Connor been introduced, but it seemed like they would get along. well While she didn’t particularly want to let them out of her sight, she knew that the hospital staff knew Tyler well and would be sure to let her know if he acted up, besides she wanted to give them a little time to get acquainted, without looming over them. In her prior discussion with Cassie, the women both agreed to let the boys have some alone time, as long as they seemed to hit it off. Honestly, Ali couldn’t think of any better way for two boys to bond than over video games, unless Connor tried to be the United States…

Laughing it off, the brunette decided to swing by Ashlyn’s office and see if she wanted to grab a coffee from the lunchroom while the boys caught up. She made the short walk to the blonde’s office and knocked on the slightly ajar door. The light knock was more of a formality than anything, as she pushed it open simultaneously, unbeknownst to her that someone else was looking to chat as well.

“Hey,” Ashlyn said, perking up at the sight of Ali in her office. “Aren’t the boys…” she began, trailing off before Ali finished her statement.

“Yeah the boys are playing FIFA right now,” she said with a chuckle before plopping down in the gray chair before the blonde’s desk. She pushed thoughts of what had happened the last time she was in the doctor’s office out of her mind, focusing on Tyler. “They seemed to get along pretty well right off the bat,” she offered, crossing her legs.

“Well that’s good,” Ashlyn beamed with a warm smile on her lips as she flipped a patient’s chart closed and looked up at Ali. “And Cassie is okay with it all?”

Ali nodded, “Yeah she was perfectly fine with them meeting, but she’s still not sure she wants to meet Tyler. She’s not sure she can handle it,” she added with a hint of sadness. It was an interesting relationship that they all shared, but she knew how much it meant to Tyler to meet his mother. More than anything, she wanted to put to bed the notion that Cassie abandoned him because she didn’t love him or he wasn’t good enough for her. That couldn’t be farther from the truth and both women knew it.

“Well…” the blonde began, gathering her thoughts before continuing, “hopefully she’ll come around and everyone can leave here on a good note. Tyler included.”

Ali nodded, “That’s the plan. Now how about we grab some coffee? You look a little tired.”

Ashlyn chuckled and stretched her arms up over her head, cracking her back in the process. “Gee you really know how to make a lady feel good,” she teased. “I would love coffee, but I just need a minute to finish up with this chart. Can I meet you down there?”

The blonde was greeted with a playful smile, “I suppose I can wait for you to save children from cancer. Go get ‘em Doctor,” she chided, slipping out of her chair and out of the door. As always, a simple interaction with the Doctor had her on cloud nine, oblivious to her surroundings. With a smile plastered on her face, she went to make her way down to the cafeteria, first stopping to peek into the room and make sure the boys were okay.

Ashlyn, true to her word, was only a minute and she flipped the file closed, slipping her lab coat off before heading towards the door. She was just about to exit when there was a knock, followed by a familiar voice.

“Dr. Harris, just the person I was looking for,” said the voice in a coy tone. “Care to have a quick chat?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any predictions??


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg. I’m back! Sorry for the delay, but I was actually working on a novel. It’s written, but I’m stuck in the boring editing phase and wanted to get back to some fun writing. I don’t know if anyone still cares or reads this story, but I hate leaving things unfinished so I’m going to wrap this one up.

Ashlyn’s heart sank in her chest as the door swung open and revealed the familiar figure.

“I’m actually heading out right now,” the doctor replied, forcing a smile onto her face as she tried to dismiss the man. “Can this wait?”

“I think your little date with Ms. Krieger can wait instead,” Phil bit back, his lips curling up into a devious sneer when he correctly assumed where the blonde was heading. Ashlyn’s face flashed with guilt before she was able to steady expression just long enough for Phil’s grin to double in size.

“It’s not uncommon for me to have appointments with patients or their parents in places other than my office,” Ashlyn bit back as her fingers drew into a tight fist instinctively. “That doesn’t make it a date.”

“Right, right,” Phil nodded.

The words seemed like a surrender, but Phil remained rooted in place. Stuck in her office, the doctor let out a frustrated sigh when it became apparent that Phil wasn’t going to leave without speaking to her. The blonde was anxious to get down to Ali, but this was technically about a patient and she didn’t want anything negative getting back to the higher ups of the hospital.

“Come in,” the doctor grumbled, stepping back to allow Phil into the spacious room.

Wasting no time, the older man strolled into the room. His beady eyes scoured the office as he stopped before the large open window where the sun was streaming in full face. Pausing, the man closed his eyes and allowed the warmth of the sun to wash over him.

Impatient and annoyed with the man’s blasé attitude, Ashlyn cut through the silence, “How can I help you, Phil?”

“I just wanted to stop in and chat,” he stated evenly, finally turning to face the doctor.

Uneasiness settled into the blonde’s stomach as she looked at the man. His harrowed face was so yellow due to jaundice that it almost matched his rotting teeth. Phil was vile in every sense of the word, inside and out, and Ashlyn hated that he was part of the equation. Still, she knew better than to treat a patient’s guardian poorly and had to refrain from really giving him a piece of her mind. Glaring back at him, the blonde just gritted her teeth and waited for Phil to get to the point.

“Actually,” Phil drawled, “I don’t want to hold your little date up. I think we can catch up later.”

The blonde’s eyes narrowed as she watched the man’s peculiar behavior. His demeanor had shifted from sly to embody almost an aura of confidence. It unnerved the blonde and she just wanted to be rid of him.

“My meeting,” Ashlyn corrected, unaware that Phil already had the confirmation he needed. “Not a date.”

“Right,” Phil nodded, his eyes still sparkling mischievously as he strolled back towards the door. “Have a nice day doctor.”

For a minute after Phil left, Ashlyn stood frozen in place. The entire interaction was disconcerting, but Ashlyn couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She wasn’t sure what Phil was getting at, but pushed down the bundle of nerves gathering in her chest. Knowing Ali was likely wondering what was holding her up, Ashlyn grabbed her wallet from her top desk drawer and slipped it into the back pocket of her slacks before strolling out of her office, careful to lock the door behind her.

Entering the cafeteria, it took a few seconds to find Ali. It was more congested than usual, but when her hazel eyes landed on a secluded table to the right where the brunette was stationed with two cups of coffee, her face immediately lit up. The defender had her nose buried in her phone, most likely catching up on emails from sponsors and the likes, and didn’t notice Ashlyn was approaching. It wasn’t until the blonde slid into a chair across the table that Ali’s gaze was drawn up.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Ashlyn declared with a grin as Ali slid a cup of coffee in her direction.

“Ha ha ha,” Ali mocked with a lopsided grin before taking a sip of her own cup. “Yours might be cold by now.”

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and sipped the coffee. The lukewarm liquid washed down her throat and she nodded. “Yeah I got a bit caught up.”

Picking up on the blonde’s slight falter, Ali’s eyebrow raised expectantly.

“Phil,” Ashlyn grumbled. “He decided to pay me another visit.”

A low groan escaped from the back of the defender’s throat. The last thing she wanted was to hear about Phil meddling where he shouldn’t be. Technically the man wasn’t even Connor’s father or legal guardian. Unfortunately, he controlled Cassie, holding what little income he did have over her head. Ali learned that the woman had been working as a waitress for a few years, but with Connor to take care of well was struggling to make ends meet. That’s where Phil came into the picture, sweeping Cassie off her feet and out of the street, into his subsidized housing. It might be run down, dirty and dank, but it was a roof over their head, an address to write down on forms, and a place for Connor to call home. While Ali was grateful that Cassie was no longer moving from shelter to shelter in between being evicted from apartments, she didn’t appreciate the way Phil abused his hold over the woman.

“What did he want?” the brunette probed, her fingers rounding the rip of the paper cup resting before her.

Not wanting Ali to worry about his insinuation, Ashlyn just shrugged, “To be a pain in my ass I guess. He didn’t say much.”

Ali could read something more behind the blonde’s hazel orbs, but didn’t have time to press her on it before a shrill beep cut through the tension.

Fumbling with her pager, Ashlyn shot the brunette an apologetic look. Peeling her eyes away from Ali, the blonde cast a glance down at her hip before sighing.

“There’s an emergency I have to take care of upstairs. We’ll catch up later, okay?”

Ali nodded, knowing Ashlyn had duty to attend to. She wouldn’t want anyone delaying the blonde from treating Tyler in an emergency, and quickly shooed the doctor away. She stayed nestled in her chair for a few moments as Ashlyn jogged towards the elevator.

Mind racing, Ali couldn’t help the unease that settled into the pit of her stomach. Something seemed off and the brunette couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. With a glance down at her watch, Ali realized she had left Tyler and Connor alone for almost a half hour at this point. Knowing it didn’t take long for two boys to get into trouble, the defender plucked her cup from the table and sauntered towards the elevator. With one hand gripping her coffee and one hand scrolling through her vast array of unread emails, the brunette entered the elevator and rode it up several floors.

After exiting, she tossed her cup in a trash can pressed up against the wall while making her way to the Play Room where she was hoping Tyler and Connor were involved in a calm, quiet game of FIFA. The feeling in Ali’s gut was causing her mind to wander and she couldn’t help it as the hairs on the back of her neck stand. Picking up her pace, Ali began taking longer strides towards the room where she had left her son and his brother, caring little that her slightly panicked state might be alarming to some.

The large glass windows encapsulating the Play Room came into view as she rounded the corner and the brunette’s heart froze in her chest. Tyler wasn’t there. Neither was Connor. Ali knew the fear was irrational, that the two boys couldn’t have gotten far on their own, but her stomach began twisting in knots all the same as she pressed her face up against the glass. Something was off. Ali had pushed down the feeling that something bad was coming and was now regretting. A second, closer inspection revealed that the boys were not in fact in the room where she had left them and she was about to slam her hand on the emergency call button beside her when a familiar sound drifted into her ears.

Laughter.

Tyler’s laugher.

Turning her head, through the ebb and flow of nurses, patients and visitors meandering the hallway, Ali caught the sight of her son hunched over. Beside him was Connor and both of the boys were laughing as they wheeled toy cars along the window sill that looked over the vast courtyard. Taking in a deep breath, the defender let out a reassuring sigh.

“Thank God,” the brunette mumbled to herself as the tension in her shoulders eased and she leaned back against the wall behind her.

Unfortunately, the peaceful feeling was short lived as she felt someone else’s presence ease into her space. The smell of beer and body odor wafted into her senses and Ali didn’t even need to cast a glance over her shoulder to know who was invading her personal space.

“They seem to really be hitting it off, huh?” questioned Phil.

Ali clenched her jaw. She didn’t like the man and definitely didn’t need him to be so imposing. The brunette took a step to the right so that Phil’s shoulder was no longer touching her own before shooting him a pointed glare.

“Well they are brothers,” the defender stated evenly.

“True,” Phil drawled as he leaned casually against the wall, turning his body so that he was now facing Ali more directly. “Them being brothers is why we’re all here after all. Isn’t it?”

“Correct,” Ali bit back, her eyes still glued on the giggling boys down the hallway. She hadn’t seen a genuine smile on Tyler’s face in days and knowing he was truly happy and bonding with his brother made her heart sale.

“It’d be a shame if we had to go back to D.C. early and break up this little family reunion.”

Phil’s comment was made offhandedly, barely above a whisper, but the carefully chosen words were muttered with a distinct purpose. Ali felt them hit her like a punch straight to the gut.

Fighting down the bile bubbling up in her throat, Ali spun on her heels, eyes wide with fury as she met Phil’s menacing smirk, “What are you talking about?”

“I think you know exactly what I’m getting at, Ms. Krieger,” Phil mumbled. “The boys seem fine on their own. Why don’t we take this little conversation to somewhere…more private?”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad there’s still some of you enjoying this story! Thanks for the warm welcome back :) It really means a lot. Now buckle up and get ready for the rest of this ride ;)

An hour later Ali was still reeling. Her mind was spinning and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out where the tears were still coming from. Phil’s been gone for forty-five minutes and the brunette wasn’t sure how there can possibly be any more tears left in her body. Not to mention, the tear reserves were already in short supply after the past few months. To be honest, Ali’s just thankful that Tyler hadn’t been back to his room yet because she was currently curled up in a ball in his bed, wrapped in the sheets as a sobbing mess.

Extortion.

Of course that’s what Phil was getting at. She should have seen his eyes lighting up with money signs the moment she pulled up in his driveway in a BMW that was likely worth more than his house. In hindsight, Ali figures she should have played it a bit smarter, but in her own defense, she hadn’t known that someone like Phil was in the picture. That’s what rattled her the most. Ali had no problem being benevolent. She had offered Cassie large sums of money in the past to help her get off the streets, but the woman had always turned her down. Cassie was sweet, naïve, but innocent.

Ali knew she had nothing to do with this and that’s what made the dilemma even trickier. The moment she forked over the amount Phil was demanding, the man would vanish. The man would take the money and run, become a ghost and disappear without as much as a goodbye. Greedy, slimy men like Phil didn’t care about people like Cassie and Connor. Ali was his way out and the mischievous glint in his eyes should have been telling from the get go. He was a snake and Ali regretted not dealing with him prior. He was no good for Cassie and they both knew it. If only Ali spoken up sooner, before Phil had wrapped them all up in his web. 

She feels defeated and the fight hasn’t even begun. To be honest, the most defeating thought is that there isn’t even a fight to be had. Not with Tyler’s health at stake. Phil may not seem educated, but the man was cunning. He proved as much when he laid everything out on the table for Ali. Pay up, or Connor’s donation is off the table. The obvious thought had immediately been to reveal everything to Cassie, but Phil had that basis covered too. The man actually had a few cop friends on the down low who he dealt too and explained to Ali that it would only be a matter of time before Cassie was pulled over and found to be in possession of drugs, which would lose her custody of Connor. The shady man had every angle covered and Ali didn’t see any other choice. Her hands were tied.

It pained the brunette beyond belief, but she pulled her phone from her pocket and let out a troubled sigh as she scrolled through her contact list. Finger hovering above a contact she hadn’t spoken to in quite some time, Ali took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. This was a call she needed to make and couldn’t seem like an emotional mess while doing it. After finally clicking on the contact, the phone rang a few times before a voice picked up on the other line.

“Hey, David. I need you to put a wire transfer through for me.” The brunette paused as the man on the other end of the line began typing something out. “It’s a Bank of America account. Number is 789-8506-4896 and the name is Phil Dawkins…The amount…uh…one hundred thousand dollars.”

The brunette held the phone away as her financial advisor began throwing a litany of questions in her direction. She knew it was coming, but there wasn’t any other way. When it came down to it, there was no amount Ali wouldn’t pay to keep her son alive. She owed it to Tyler after everything they’ve been through.

“David, I know…” the brunette huffed, annoyed by his accusatory tone and patronizing line of questioning. “Yes, I’m thinking rationally and no you don’t need to know what it’s for. Just put the damn wire transfer through and let me know when it’s done.” 

With that, Ali ended the call. Grumbling under her breath to no one in particular, she tossed the phone on the bed beside her. A half empty box of tissues sat on the nightstand a few feet away, so the brunette stretched out and grabbed a few. Dabbing at her puffy, red eyes, Ali cursed under her breath. The brunette wasn’t sure how to keep this from Tyler and she figured the boy – or boys – would be coming back any minute now complaining about being hungry for lunch.

She had just risen from the bed when there was a light knock on the door. The initial thought that it was Tyler and Connor coming back washed away when she realized they were reckless boys who would have come barging in instead. Figuring it was Phil, the brunette tossed the tissues into the garbage can beside her.

“What do you want now?” the defender grumbled, setting her jaw for the confrontation that was coming.

“Uh…just to check in?” came a timid voice from the other side of the door.

“Ashlyn,” Ali sighed, tugging open the door to find the doctor there wearing a confused expression with her fist in the air like she was just about to knock again.

Taking a step into the room, Ashlyn glanced around to see if she was interrupting anything. Judging from the bloodshot eyes Ali was sporting, she had clearly missed something while dealing with her last patient.

“What’s going on, Al?” the doctor probed, stepping further into the room so she could close the door and give them some privacy.

“Nothing,” Ali choked out, forcing a laugh to lighten the mood.

The blonde didn’t buy the soccer player’s deflection and narrowed her gaze, “You can talk to me about anything.”

The brunette mustered a weak smile while wiping at the corner of her eyes with the sleeve of her flannel, “No I’m good. Just gets emotional sometimes.”

Ashlyn didn’t entirely buy the explanation, but didn’t want to push Ali if there was something she wasn’t ready to talk about. The brunette was already going through enough.

“Yeah, it can get pretty heavy sometimes,” the doctor replied, taking Ali’s hand in her own and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You know I’m here if you ever need to talk.”

“I know,” the defender replied softly, eyes meeting the blonde’s tentatively.

She could see the genuine concern etched into them, something that the blonde had once had solely for Tyler. It was as if the doctor was begging without words to be let in. Ali could feel the walls holding her up crumbling, the words rolling from her lips unabashedly.

“I just…Phil…it’s…there’s…” the brunette fumbled, trying to find a way to tell the doctor that she had just forked over $100,000 to a slimy man without seeming absolutely insane.

Her mind was a jumbled mess, but the words began organizing themselves in her head. She was opening her mouth to blurt out the guarded confession when the door swung open with a bang and two boys came spilling into the room.

“Mom can we get food? We’re starving!” Tyler whined.

Ali jerked her glance away from the doctor along with her hands and peered over at her son. Tyler was standing there wearing a tired expression. Behind him was Connor who also had a hopeful look. It was strange, seeing the two boys together and Ali couldn’t help but feel her heart ache at the fact that she and Cassie had denied them this for so long. Mustering a smile she nodded before directing her attention to Connor.

“Connor, why don’t you go ask your mom if she’s okay with me taking you boys down to the cafeteria. We’ll wait for you to get back,” she stated, smiling bigger when the boy excitedly nodded and turned to sprint out of the room without another word.

The defender’s head was still reeling with the events of the past hour. She looked back at Tyler who was peering up at her through slightly narrowed eyes. Ali wasn’t sure if he had caught onto the fact that his doctor was holding her hands when he barged in. After the incident the year prior, the last thing she wanted was to cause even more drama for her son. That’s why she was drawing away from Doctor Harris, at least she was trying to. Ignoring the pull between them was becoming harder every passing day. Still, Tyler was her main priority and the last thing she needed to do was get Ashlyn mixed up in her mess with Phil.

“So you guys having fun?” Ashlyn squeaked, trying to break the light tension that had settled into the room.

Tyler pulled his cheek in between his teeth, glancing at his mom for another moment before turning to meet the doctor’s gaze, “Yep! Connor is awesome! I can’t wait to show him my video game collection at home. He said he’s never really played before so even though I’m younger I bet I’ll be able to beat him.”

In any other scenario, Ali would have smiled at her son’s competitive spirit. It was definitely something he had picked up from her and while it normally made her swell with pride, this was different. She and Cassie hadn’t even spoken about what was going to happen after things settled. The defender wasn’t sure what the woman would or wouldn’t be comfortable with and now there was a new bundle of nerves twisting in her chest. She was wondering if things could get even more confusing, when Connor came barreling through the door shouting that his mom had said it was okay for him to go.

Addressing the boys, Ali nodded, “Okay, let’s go get a bite.”

Ushering them out of the room, Ali felt a hand wrap gently around her wrist. Turning expectantly, she met Ashlyn’s hesitant gaze.

“We’ll continue this talk later?” the blonde probed, eyes hopeful.

With a small smile, Ali shrugged off the doctor’s worry, “It’s really nothing, Ash. Just…like you said, it gets heavy sometimes. It’s all good.”

With that, the defender spun on her heels and chased after the boys who were racing down the hallway. Deep down she felt guilty for dismissing the doctor, but she had one focus and that was Tyler. With the Phil situation taken care of, all that was left was to focus on Tyler and Connors’ upcoming procedures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Curious to hear all your takes on this! Would you have paid up or do you think there was another out for Ali?


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still sad that the Pride lost and to Portland of all teams :( well here’s a chapter, but I don’t think it’ll cheer you up :/ bring out the pitchforks!

The next few days, things were starting to look up. Ashlyn hadn’t probed her any more, Phil hadn’t been around for the last several days, Connor and Tyler were bonding well, and a talk with Cassie led Ali to believe that she might actually be open to meeting with Tyler. Seeing how well the boys hit it off, becoming almost inseparable since their introduction, the mothers knew there was no way to keep them separated forever. Ali had the funds to make visits possible, but keeping Cassie out of the picture would make it more complicated.

Sneaking a bottle of wine into the pediatric ward after the boys had gone to sleep was surprisingly easy. It was much easier than the conversation that ensued after where the two women hashed out a variety of topics, deciding that after this was all said and done, that they would try to get the siblings together for a couple weeks every summer and possibly even during the holidays. It would be hectic with Ali’s soccer schedule, but the defender was determined to make things right for her son.

One particular topic that Ali hated to bring up, was that she didn’t want Tyler visiting in D.C. by himself. While Cassie was okay with Connor taking a flight on his own to Orlando, Ali didn’t like the idea of Tyler being anywhere near Phil. Biting her tongue to keep from spilling what the man had done the prior day, Ali tried to carefully broach the subject.

With an eye roll, Cassie had waved Ali off. The other mother knew exactly what Ali was getting at and the brunette could hear how exhausted Cassie was in her voice. She felt bad and had to keep herself from offering the woman money, knowing it would only insult her. Cassie knew though, nodding in understanding and refusing to allow Ali to apologize. They had come to terms and all that was left was to ask Tyler if he was really ready to meet his biological mother. Ali had to admit the thought that Tyler might think of her differently stung a bit, but it was the right thing to do.

After the pain and harassment she had caused her little boy, she needed to just do what was right. It didn’t matter how painful it was for her or how much it depleted her bank account. Tyler would always come first. 

That’s why the smile immediately slipped off her face that morning as she strolled into Tyler’s room with a lightly buttered bagel and piping mug of coffee clutched in her hands. Tyler wasn’t in his bed. That wasn’t what was most alarming, assuming that he was off with Connor playing. What halted her heart in her chest was the sly grin Phil was giving her as he sat on the edge of Tyler’s bed.

“What the hell do you want?” the defender sneered, tossing the bagel haphazardly onto the dresser beside her as she glared pointedly at the extortionist.

“It’s nice to see you too, Ms. Krieger,” he sneered, words dripping in cynical sarcasm.

Ali saw right through the charm he was trying to put on and shook her head, “Seriously, what are you doing here? I was expecting you to be on a bender already with all that money you came into recently.”

At this, Phil let out a soft chuckle. He stood up from the bed and took a few steps towards the guarded woman. When Ali stepped back, the man tossed his hands up in the air as if surrendering.

“Do you think I’m a dumb person?” Phil quipped, leveling their gaze once again.

There was something unreadable in the man’s eyes and Ali wasn’t going to bite on the obvious bait, “I don’t know much about you to be honest. All I know is that you’re standing in between my son and his health.”

Ali had tried to control her emotions, but the way her words came out as a growl had Phil’s eyebrows raising.

“Well as long as you understand what my position is, that’s all you really need to know,” the man countered cautiously.

“The position you were in,” the defender corrected. “I believe we came to an understanding about all this the other day. I held up my end of the bargain and I expect that you’ll do the same.”

At this, Phil’s sneer grow a size bigger and Ali felt her stomach twist into a knot. She suddenly had the feeling that this was far from over.

“Oh you mean the hundred thousand wired to my bank account?” Phil quipped, “That was just a deposit Ms. Krieger.”

“What,” the brunette growled through gritted teeth, fists clenching instinctively.

“Maybe you’re the dumb one here,” Phil chuckled as he leaned back against a small desk tucked into the corner of the room. “When a man of my status comes upon a hundred thousand dollars so easily, do you honestly think he’d just walk away?”

Ali’s heart began racing. Her assumption that this was just the beginning was correct and the defender could feel the walls begin crumbling in on her. Trying to steady her ragged breathing, she lifted her gaze from the floor and cast a glance at Phil. He was casually leaning against the desk across the room, wearing an indifferent smirk while reeking of arrogance.

“That was it. That was the amount we agreed to. I’m not giving you a cent more.”

It was useless. Phil was onto the money trail like a shark to a drop of blood in the ocean. There was no shaking him now that he had a taste of the good life.

“Yes you will,” the man grinned. “You’ll give me everything I ask for. Unless you want to have Tyler thrown onto the bone marrow waiting list...”

He wasn’t wrong. That’s what infuriated Ali the most. She would give Phil whatever he asked for. It didn’t matter how empty it left her bank account. She couldn’t risk Tyler not getting the treatment he needed. Not when Connor was actually a match.

“That’s what I thought,” Phil mocked her silence as reluctant understanding. “Now you just need to keep the money coming and keep your mouth shut, and in two days, your little boy will have his procedure and you’ll never have to see me again.”

“How much,” the brunette mumbled, the words barely above a whisper as the fight left her immediately.

“One million,” Phil stated, punctuating every syllable with gleeful emphasis.

“WHAT?” Ali shouted, eyes wide at the number that escaped the man’s mouth. “I don’t have that kind of money!”

Smiling at the defender’s panicked state, Phil simply shrugged, “I have the utmost confidence that you will figure it out, Ms. Krieger. Wire it to the same account by midnight tomorrow and we won’t have any issues. Got it?”

Mind reeling, it was all Ali could do to nod. She watched Phil strut out of the room before collapsing on Tyler’s empty bed once again. Mind swirling with thoughts, Ali pulled out her phone and pulled up her banking app. The number in her savings account was significant, but nowhere near what Phil was demanding. Even if she was able to have David make all of her assets liquid in 24 hours, which wasn’t possible, she was still going to be short. Letting out a frustrated groan the brunette threw her phone down. Ali buried her head in her son’s pillow with a defeated groan, mind already flooding with thoughts on how to get out of this.


	33. Chapter 33

Ashlyn’s smile dropped off her face the moment she saw Phil slip out of Tyler’s room. He was wearing an arrogant smirk and humming happily to himself as he walked out of the room unaware of his surroundings. The blonde had just stopped in to see the boy’s in a heated game of FIFA in the Play Room, which meant Tyler’s room was either unoccupied, or…

As soon as Phil turned the corner, the doctor surged towards the door and threw it open without knocking. The scene before her was even worse than she had expected and suddenly it all made sense. What Ali had been trying to tell her the day before, the way Phil’s name had rolled off the brunette’s lips like a forbidden word before the boys had burst in and thrown their conversation off kilter. But seeing Ali curled up in Tyler’s bed with tears streaming down her cheeks was more than Ashlyn could handle. It evoked a mix emotions in the doctor and without hesitation she rushed into the room and gathered the brunette in her arms.

“Hey, it’s okay,” the doctor cooed as Ali turned and tucked her chin into the crook of the blonde’s neck. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.”

Instead of fighting against it, Ali just let the emotions spill in waves, the release rolling down her cheeks unchecked. Burying herself in the blonde’s arms felt like the best place to be and it was almost as if the protection of Ashlyn’s strong grip scared her demons away. Unfortunately, aside from feeling protective, the doctor was also fired up.

“What did he say to you, Ali?” Ashlyn whispered into the messy bun that sat atop her head. When Ali didn’t answer, instead pressing herself deeper into the blonde’s embrace, Ashlyn pulled back slightly. With her hands gently gripping the defender’s well defined biceps, the doctor met Ali’s distraught gaze. “What did that asshole do?”

Ali was torn. She knew Ashlyn was someone she could trust, but she also knew that Phil would stop at nothing. He had already threatened Tyler’s health, Cassie’s freedom and Connor’s well-being. There was no stopping the man and if he was as privy to their relationship as Ali believed, it wouldn’t take much to bring the doctor down either. Their relationship, or whatever they wanted to call it, had certainly crossed several boundaries. Ali knew it, Ashlyn knew it, and though he didn’t have any proof, Phil seemed to know it too.

“It’s nothing,” the defender whispered, shaking her head side to side as she pulled her hands up to her face and brushed at wetness on her cheeks.

“You can talk to me,” Ashlyn replied, her own eyes becoming glassy as she looked down at the brunette. “You can trust me, Ali. Whatever it is…I can help…”

Ali sighed and pushed back from the blonde’s embrace. She stood quickly, dropping her gaze from the blondes, “You can’t. This isn’t your mess, Ashlyn.”

“What if I want it to be?” the blonde whispered.

It was meant to be to herself, but Ali easily caught it. The brunette lifted her gaze. Housed in the doctor’s hazel eyes was a glint of hope mixed with genuine concern.

“I care about you and Tyler, Ali. I know you wanted to take a step back from…from whatever we were doing, but you can at least let me help.” Standing up and approaching the blonde, Ashlyn took her hands in her own, “I want to help. Just tell me what’s going on.”

The walls were breaking. Ali could feel the barriers she had put up crumbling even more under the weight of Phil’s actions and Ashlyn’s pleas. She wanted to let the blonde in so badly. To collapse into Ashlyn’s arms and tell her everything, but it would only complicate things. This was something she needed to solve on her own, without dragging anyone else into the mess. She had unknowingly brought Cassie and Connor into the chaos and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt the doctor too.

“I…I can’t,” Ali sighed, her tone defeated and distant. “Just drop it, Ash. I…have to go check on the boys.”

With that, the brunette hurried out of the room. It stung that Ali didn’t even cast a glance back over her shoulder at the concerned doctor, but Ashlyn just set her jaw in determination. The doctor always had a protective steak of the people she cared about. It had gotten her into more scuffles and situations than she could count when she was younger, but there was nothing she wouldn’t do for those in her corner.

That same protective instinct is why she found herself fifteen minutes later with her fist bunching the front of Phil’s stained white t-shirt as she pushed him up against the back wall of her office. As the framed photos on the cabinet that she had the man bent backwards over clattered to the ground, Phil threw up his hands in surrender.

“Easy there, doc!” Phil chuckled. “I don’t think you want the board to hear about how you invited me to your office and then beat me up, do you?”

“That’s not how I saw it go down,” Ashlyn spat back, her face just inches from the man who had been toying with her for the last five minutes. “The way I remember it is I invited you here to talk about the procedure and you tried to put your hands on me. This is merely self-defense.”

The man’s confidence faltered for a brief second as the doctor quickly gained the upper hand. He knew the chances of anyone believing his version of the story was less than them believing that someone of his status and gender would try to make a pass at the attractive doctor.

“Ahh, ease up doc,” the man grunted as Ashlyn pushed him further back, demanding to know what he had said to Ali. “They might not believe me on that one, but how about the story where you’re hooking up with your patient’s mother?”

That certainly caught the blonde’s attention. She faltered, her hand slipping from the front of his shirt as she staggered backwards. Eyes full of anger lifted from the floor to meet his a moment later.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the doctor stated casually, trying to mask the shock in her expression.

“No?” Phil sneered, feeling like a boxer about to land the uppercut to knock his opponent out. “You don’t remember that steamy session in your office the other day?”

Ashlyn’s jaw dropped to the floor for a moment before she quickly pulled it back up. She didn’t know how the man had found out. Certainly Ali hadn’t told him. So how?

“What are you talking about?” the doctor growled, stalking back to the man.

Before she could reach him, Phil dug in his back pocket. The blonde tensed herself for the man to pull some sort of weapon, but he produced a flash drive instead. She looked at him quizzically before the grinning man nodded towards her desk.

“Go on. Plug it in doc.”

The last thing Ashlyn wanted to do was comply, but the confident smirk plastered on Phil’s was unsettling. He had something up his sleeve and she needed to know what. Rounding her desk, Ashlyn plopped down in her padded leather chair. She opened her laptop and entered her log in credentials before inserting the USB into the drive. It took a few seconds for the computer to recognize the device, but when it popped it she noticed it was an audio file. Her throat immediately became dry as she looked at the date on the audio clip. Taking a deep breath she clicked on it. Immediately, she and Ali’s voices came blaring out of her speakers. The conversation was entirely too familiar and her eyes widened as her assumptions were confirmed.

“How the hell-” the doctor got out before Phil silenced her with a wagging finger.

“That little visit I paid you the other day wasn’t just to chat,” the man sneered. “Look familiar?” he asked.

Ashlyn’s eyes narrowed as she examined the picture frame he plucked from the ground. She nodded, wondering what the picture had to do with anything, but it immediately clicked when he turned the frame around.

“You bugged my office?” Ashlyn growled, springing back from her chair so quickly that it crashed into the wooden filing cabinet behind her desk with a bang.

Phil nodded.

“I’m a smart man. And if you’re smart like your title suggests, you’ll back off,” he stated threateningly. The last thing you want is this getting out. A doctor preying on a sick kid’s mother in her own office? Surely that won’t look good for you or the hospital. Just mind your own business and no one will find out.”

“What did you say to Ali earlier?” Ashlyn demanded, her gut already churning as her mind raced with thoughts. If this is what Phil had in store for her, she could only imagine what the man had said to Ali.

“Just asked her for a little something,” he shrugged. “Consider it a guarantee that Connor goes through with the procedure and Cassie stays out of jail.”

“Extorting a sick kid’s mother?” the doctor snarled, “That’s low. Even for you.”

“In two days I’ll be on a beach someone in the Caribbean so I don’t really care what you think of me,” Phil grumbled. “Just stay the hell out of my way if you know what’s good for me.”

Ashlyn stood frozen in place and watched as Phil strutted out of her office, slamming the door behind him. Mind reeling, the doctor tried to wrap her head around what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickens.....


	34. Chapter 34

Ashlyn was never good at keeping things to herself. Holding a secret for a friend was one thing, but the blonde was firm believer of speaking your mind. Her desire to say what she meant or thought no matter how bold or blunt the statements were had gotten her in trouble previously, but it was also what made her a good person. People around her respected the truthful nature. It made the nods of approval or words of praise even more meaningful.

Doctor Harris was honest to a fault, until Alexandra Krieger had come into the picture. She danced around the brunette awkwardly, fighting against the nature to lay it all on the line. A relationship with the defender was unprofessional and against hospital regulations, but avoiding the truth was against the blonde’s code of ethics.

Now she found herself locked in some game that Phil was playing with Ali and she couldn’t figure out how to process it. Any other patient she would have called the cops and dealt with it, but Ali was different. The defender would never speak to her again if something went awry and Tyler’s health was jeopardized. Hell, she could never live with herself if she caused Tyler’s progress to sway.

Mind reeling, Ashlyn did the only thing that made sense. Picking up the phone, she punched in a familiar number.

“Can you come to my office?” the blonde questioned, waiting for a reply before adding, “Great. I’ll see you soon.”

Five minutes later, an exhausted looking Doctor Engen came strolling through the door. The blonde didn’t bother knocking, just entered with a nod before sinking down in the chair before Ashlyn’s desk.

“What’s got you looking so worried?” Whitney questioned, eyebrow raising in concern as she looked over at her distressed friend.

“It’s a long story…” Ashlyn began.

The doctor sighed as she launched into a story, sparing no details. She had been keeping too many secrets from others and herself and it was time to acknowledge the mess. It took almost fifteen minutes, before the blonde got to the end of her confession. She told Whitney about their trip, about the kiss in her office, Ali’s rebuff, Phil’s extortion attempt and the fact that he had evidence of her compromising relationship with Ali.

“Jesus, Ash,” Whitney groaned when the blonde finally finished. “Did you tell anyone else about this?”

Ashlyn shook her head, “Just you. Ali wouldn’t open up to me about it so I…confronted Phil. At least now I know he’s got blackmail on me too, not just Ali.”

“You’re in deep,” the other doctor sighed. “What are you going to do about it? You could get in serious trouble if your relationship with Ali gets out.”

“And Tyler could die if he doesn’t get the treatment he needs,” Ashlyn countered pointedly. “Let’s not forget about that.”

Whit threw her hands up in mock surrender, “Easy, Ash. I was just trying to deal with one problem first. Do you know exactly what Phil’s asking for? To be honest, Ali probably has it...”

“That’s not the point,” Doctor Harris grumbled. “A man like Phil doesn’t just go away. He’s bad news and he’ll always be bad news. I have to do something. Anything.”

“Even if doing something means losing your job?” Whitney retorted, her words laced with concern, not judgement.

Ashlyn didn’t even hesitate, nodding her head in affirmation as soon as the words left Whitney’s lips. Part of this was on her. She had allowed Phil to insert himself into the process, when her instincts told otherwise. She couldn’t let Ali and Tyler down, even if it meant risking her own security.

“I have to. I just don’t know what to do,” the doctor sighed.

“Well, I think getting the cops on board is one option. Or approaching Cassie. First, you need to talk to Ali. If you do something behind her back and mess it up…there’s no coming back from it. She’s his mother and needs to be in the loop. No surprises, Harris.”

Ashlyn let out a frustrated grumble. She had hoped that Ali wouldn’t need to be involved. The defender was selfless and Ash knew there was no way she would agree to help without putting up a fight. It was going to complicate things, but she owed Ali the truth. Two heads were better than one anyways.

“Yeah, I need to go find her and talk,” Ashlyn confirmed. “Thanks for the advice, Whit.”

The blonde raised from her leather chair and rounded the desk. Pulling Whitney in for a hug, the blonde tried to relax. Having a clear mind was essential for the swamp that she was about to wade into. The pair broke from the hug and walked side by side to the door, Ashlyn pulling it open so Whit could slip through first. The blonde was a few steps down the hall when Doctor Engen’s voice calling Ashlyn’s name pulled her from her thoughts. Turning on her heel, the doctor shot Whit an expectant look.

“What’s up?” the blonde questioned.

“If things don’t go as planned…you have to get to the hospital admins before he does.”

Nodding, Ashlyn let the words sink in. The blonde turned and continued towards Ali’s room, letting her mind wander. She knew what she was getting into and what was at stake. In an ideal world, Phil would be in jail, Tyler would receive his treatment with no issues and she would keep her job. That wasn’t the type of world they lived in though. The likelihood of all three of those things happening was slim. Two out of three was probably her best bet. She already knew what two she would choose. The issue was going to be convincing Ali.

It didn’t take too long to find the brunette. She was just leaving the cafeteria with Tyler and Connor in tow. The boys had chocolate smeared on their face. It was clear that Ali had treated them to ice cream and Ashlyn bit back a smile as the sight warmed her heart.

“Ash!” Tyler yelled, seeing the blonde before his mother did.

The little boy rushed forward and barreled into the doctor’s legs. Ashlyn squatted down and pulled Tyler into a light hug. This was the part of her job she would miss the most if things didn’t work out. The ability to interact with the patients that she cared so much about. Feeling Tyler start squirming in her arms, the blonde released the giggling boy.

“What’s up, TJ?” the doctor probed, lifting her gaze to greet Ali with a smile. “I see your mom let you guys have some ice cream.”

Ali rolled her eyes and bent down to wipe the corner of Tyler’s mouth with her sleeve.

“Yup!” Tyler confirmed as he wriggled free of his mother’s grasp.

“What are you trouble makers up to this afternoon?” the doctor inquired, joining Ali and the boys as they walked towards the elevator.

“Well Connor and I are gonna go play some video games in the playroom. Then I get to meet my mom!” Tyler revealed.

Ashlyn stilled her face, fighting the shock that threatened to make its presence known. She knew the boys were getting along well, but was shocked that Cassie had done a complete 180. The blonde shot Ali a look, but the defender just shrugged and nodded.

“Well that’s cool!” Ashlyn replied, unsure how to handle the subject. The blonde had a close relationship with Tyler, but she didn’t want to overstep her boundaries. She had already done that with one Krieger and it didn’t look like it would end well.

A few minutes later, the group paused outside of the play room. Tyler and Connor rushed in without as much as a goodbye. Ali let out a laugh as she watched them frantically scanning through the shelf containing the video games.

“I’m surprised you’re able to laugh with what’s going on,” Ashlyn stated evenly as she cut right to the chase.

“Not sure what you mean,” Ali countered, her eyes still glued to the boys.

Ashlyn sighed and gave the brunette a slight nudge with her elbow. She couldn’t help but feel slighted that the brunette didn’t trust her enough to confide about Phil’s extortion attempt.

“I know what he’s doing,” Ashlyn retorted, shifting her attention to the side of Ali’s head instead of at the boys. “And I want to help.”

Ali rolled her eyes and peeled her eyes from the play room window to meet Ashlyn’s confident gaze, “I don’t want you getting mixed up in this, Ash. It’s not worth you getting in trouble.”

“It’s too late for that. I don’t care about the repercussions,” the doctor acknowledged, heart hammering in her chest as she prepared to divulge the real truth. “I stopped caring about them when...when I fell in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit is getting real now ;)


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the week long delay! Here’s an update that you’ll love/hate ;)

“You what?” Ali hissed, eyes wide in shock as she stared back at the doctor with a blank look on her face.

“You heard what I said, Alex,” Ashlyn responded, her fingers nervously playing with a loose button on her lab coat.

The next thing Ashlyn knew, she was being dragged through the hallways by a very pissed off brunette. Her feet could barely keep up with the pace and suddenly, she was pushed backwards through a door into an empty room. Glancing around, the doctor quickly recognized their location as her office. Knowing this moment needed all the privacy they could get, Ashlyn broke free from the brunette’s grasp, reached around Ali and soundly locked the door behind them.

“I know what’s at stake and I don’t care,” Ashlyn stated assuredly. “What he’s doing isn’t right and I can help. Please let me help.”

“But the consequences…” the defender whispered, her resolve already breaking as Ashlyn brought her trembling hand up to give the brunette’s hand a light squeeze. “You could lose everything!”

“I don’t care,” the doctor repeated, her voice void of worry. “I just don’t want to lose you. I’m in this, Ali. I won’t let him do this to you…to Tyler. I love you and I can’t stand to see you like this.”

The two women stood stark still, both their chests heaving with nerves. Ali eyed the doctor, sensing the concern and fierce loyalty housed in her hazel irises. Her whole body was tingling with anticipation. The skin where the doctor’s fingers were lingering on her hand blazing. Somehow Ashlyn managed to chase away the bleak numbness with just a touch. Suddenly, it wasn’t just her versus the world. There was a partner, an equal who wanted to take on the world side by side. Despite the gravity of the situation, Ali could feel the weight on her shoulders lifting slightly, all but evaporating when the blonde slipped a hand around her waist and pulled them closer.

“You don’t have to say it back, Alex,” Ashlyn whispered, her fresh citrus scent burning into the brunette’s synapses now that their faces were only inches apart, their breath becoming shared. “I just need you to know that I’m going to do whatever it takes to make this right.”

Heart hammering in her chest, Ali pulled in a deep breath. Thoughts were raging in her head, red flags snapping to attention, but the brunette pushed them down. Allowing herself to feel once again, Ali pressed forward and closed the remaining space between them.

“I love you too,” the defender murmured, though her words were lost in the breathy moan that escaped the blonde’s throat the moment their lips touched.

Every nerve in Ali’s body was firing as Ashlyn surged forward, pressing the defender’s back into the thick door of her office. It felt like Ali was being held down and set free at the same time. Her heartrate skyrocketed as the blonde melded their bodies together, giving in to the tension that had settled in between them.  
They stayed like that for what seemed liked hours, but was only minutes before Ashlyn reluctantly took a step back. Arms still wrapped tightly around the defender’s waist, the doctor retreated for a breath. As much as they wanted to continue the steamy make out session, there were more important matters to discuss. And discuss they did. Ali divulged everything. From the original threat and money she had already supplied, to the ungodly number Phil had requested as a follow up. At first Ashlyn was stunned at the finite details that the brunette laid out, but she did her best to hide the shock. Ali needed someone in her corner and that meant being strong. Strong and smart. The thought of tossing Phil into a river with his feet encased in concrete certainly crossed her mind, but that wasn’t the way to go about things.

The women planned and plotted and they disagreed. Ashlyn wanted to tell Cassie everything, but Ali didn’t want to involve her. Not when the stakes were so high. Not when Phil had threatened to harm her and Connor as well. Ali wanted to come up with a way to get Phil to incriminate himself and take the case to the police, but Ashlyn knew it would take too much time. Police needed to have concrete evidence, get warrants and follow protocols. There was too much red tape and too little time. The one thing they did agree on, was that they didn’t agree on much.

Time was waning and there was really only one thing they could agree on. Option 3. Ali hated it. Ashlyn hated it. But at least they both agreed.

That’s how Ali found herself on the phone with her financial advisor once again to start the process. How she found herself exhausted, wandering through the hallway of the hospital looking for Phil. How she found herself nodding in his direction, and how she found herself slipping into the driver’s seat of her BMW while Phil slid into the passenger seat wearing a dubious grin. Ali hated it, but it was the only way. There was no way she would let Phil get in the way of Tyler’s surgery, so there was really only one surefire way out.

The brunette pulled out of the hospital parking lot, easing her foot onto the gas pedal as she watched the building disappear into the background. Her heart was shattering at the implications this decision carried, but it was the only choice. Even Ashlyn had agreed.

The pair drove for a few minutes in silence with only the sound of the Top 100 radio station humming through the speakers. Ali was just about to lean forward and turn the volume up when Phil broke through the quiet.

“I really think you’re making a smart decision here Miss. Krieger,” the man stated patronizingly. “It’s the best for everyone involved.”

“I’m sure you think that,” Ali scoffed, her grip on the steering wheel tightening as she wove through traffic.

“After this, we can all move on with our lives,” the man shrugged, as if what was happening was a casual, commonplace occurrence.

Inside, Ali was seething. Her knuckles turned white as adrenaline began pumping. She couldn’t believe what she was going to do, but there was no choice. Letting out a sigh, the brunette flicked on her turn signal and veered to the right. Phil eyed her suspiciously, but the blonde shrugged.

“I need gas,” she replied to the unasked question.

“The bank is only a few miles up the street,” Phil reiterated.

“And how many miles would you like to walk with your million dollars when I run out of gas on the way back?” Ali bit back, her nerves already worn thin with the man.

Phil didn’t respond aside from letting out a frustrated groan so Ali unclipped her seat belt and rounded the car to begin fueling up. She made quick work of the job, eyeing Phil as he examined the inside of her vehicle closely. The man had never been in such a luxury vehicle before and Ali could see the gears in his head turning, debating whether he would want one in black, white or cherry red. It maddened the defender, but she pushed the angry thoughts down before climbing back into the car.

“Took you long enough,” the man grumbled under his breath.

Ali ignored the comment and turned the key in the ignition. The vehicle fired right up and she pulled out of the gas station driveway without a word. The brunette wove through traffic. She was careful, methodic in her decisions and it was clear that Phil was becoming irritated. The impatient man let out a frustrated sigh whenever the brunette refused to fly through a yellow light. Ali could tell form the way his fingers were tapping incessantly on the door handle that she was getting on his last nerves. Maybe she was doing it on purpose. She didn’t like the plan, so she might as well have a bit of fun with it.

Finally, five sighs of frustration and three mumbles under Phil’s breath later, they reached the bank. The slimy man went to release his seatbelt, but Ali halted him. Phil glowered in her direction, shrugging the defender off, but Ali insisted.

“If you come in there with me, it’s just going to arouse suspicion,” the brunette argued. “I’ll be in and out in a few minutes. Just stay here.”

Phil’s eyes searched Ali’s for a moment. He didn’t like the idea, but he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. He just wanted his money and he was minutes away from getting it. With a reluctant nod, the man released his grip on his seatbelt and prodded her to hurry back.

Ali shot a forced smile in his direction before grabbing a black bag in the back, climbing out of the car and strolling into the bank. She approached the first teller, handing some documents over. The older woman with graying hair and far too much makeup on nodded, ignoring the large number on the withdrawal slip and nodded for Ali to follow her. The last Phil saw of the brunette was her following the bank teller into the back.

Twenty minutes later Ali came back. Phil was incredibly annoyed at the delay, but a large smile split his lips when his eyes landed on the black satchel. The bag on her back was stuffed, much fuller than when she entered and its weight was evident in the slight stagger in the brunette’s gait.

“About damn time,” Phil hissed, grabbing voraciously at the bag on Ali’s shoulder.

The brunette ignored a snarky reply as she watched Phil out of the corner of his eye. The man’s eyes lit up as he unzipped the bag, revealing the stacks of money inside. He let out a hearty cackle that filled the car, reverberating down to the brunette’s bones. She hated herself for this.

“It’s all here?” he questioned greedily, his voice firm as he finally turned his glance back to Ali.

“Every dollar,” Ali retorted through gritted teeth. 

“I’ll have until the surgery to verify,” the man shrugged as his hands dipped back into the bag of money and ran over the crisp bills. “Now take me back to the hospital. I’ve got a few things to take care of before I split town.”

Ali bit her tongue at the man’s sharp order and turned the car on. She pulled out of the bank onto the busy parking lot. At least Phil was too engrossed in the bag of money on his lap to chastise her driving skills on the way back. In fact, the man didn’t pay her any mind until ten minutes later when he felt the vehicle picking up speed. It was exactly as the women predicted.

“Hey,” Phil cried out as the car accelerated well beyond what was acceptable on the busy streets of the city.

The man surveyed the scene for a moment.

“You just passed the hospital!” he roared as Ali flew past the sprawling medical campus, opting instead for the highway ramp on the right. “What is going on?”

The clock hit noon and that’s when Phil’s phone began ringing. Right on time.

The man was still bewildered, eyes red with anger as he grasped at the phone shoved into his pocket. He barely had time to glance at the caller ID after pulling it out of his pants before Ali wrenched the device from his hand and whipped it out her car window.

“What the hell!” Phil shouted, a panic rising in his voice as he watched Ali’s speedometer reach 85 miles per hour, the hospital now miles behind him. “What is going on?”

For the first time in a long time, Ali smiled in Phil’s presence. It wasn’t exactly rational, flying down the highway with an enraged man in her car, but Ali had seen exactly who was calling Phil.

“That was just Doctor Harris calling to inform you that a slot in her schedule opened up. Connor and Tyler and actually going into the procedure as we speak,” the brunette stated evenly, her hands securely on the wheel, eyes trained on the road ahead.

“WHAT!” the man roared, seemingly debating internally between whether or not to attack the woman driving the car.

“Did you think we’re dumb, Phil?” the defender bit back, trying to hide the massive smirk threatening to spill over her lips. “I needed you out of the way, so I waved a few shiny dollar bills in your face.”

“BUT….BUT…” the man stammered, still flabbergasted.

“The car is fueled up, we have a few hours before we run out of gas and plenty of highway to keep us busy,” Ali explained, now letting the smile fall over her lips unabashedly.

“But…I have the money!” the man stated emphatically, clutching the bag tightly to his chest as if that wasn’t something Ali had thought of.

“You mean that $100,000 of marked bills that I will report stolen to the police if it leaves this car?” the brunette retorted, shooting the man a smirk. “Good luck with that.”

With that, Ali turned her attention back to the road before her. Even with a mad man seated in the rapidly moving car beside her, all she could think of was her little boy in surgery, getting further away with every spin of the tires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo thoughts? Do you think it was smart? Are they out of the woods yet?!


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you’ve all been waiting for.....

It only took a few minutes for Ali to really begin freaking out about what she was doing. Technically, it was kidnapping. While the man was extorting her for a million dollars, the brunette always remembered her mother lambasting her with the saying “two wrongs don’t make a right.” Of course that generally pertained to her kicking a soccer ball at Kyle’s face after he threw one in her direction. This situation was different. It wasn’t a slight bloody nose – life threatening Kyle had of course called it. This was potentially life or death for her son.

Still, Ali couldn’t believe that she had actually kidnapped Phil and was speeding down the highway while Ashlyn was beginning the operation miles away. It pained the defender that she couldn’t be by Tyler’s side. The brunette knew he would inevitably ask for her before surgery. The fact that Kyle had flown in for the week and would be with the little boy was somewhat reassuring, but heart twisted with anxiety at the thought of not being there for her son. The pair had been through everything, the good and the bad and the nerves were eating away at Ali.

“Listen, bitch,” Phil growled, his eyes boring through the driver, “You better turn around at the next exit if you know what’s good for you.”

“Can’t,” Ali grunted in response, keeping her eyes affixed on the road while ignoring the sniveling look Phil was casting in her direction.

“You’re going to regret this!” he shouted, voice rising higher. “I swear to God you and that fucking doctor are going to pay for this. You are going to jail and that bitch is going to lose her license. You can say goodbye to Cassie and Connor too, because you’ll never see them again. Have fun explaining that to your boy...the fact that his mom hated him enough to ditch him twice.”

Ali could only take so much. Hearing Phil’s tirade was one thing, but as soon as the others were brought into it, she felt her defenses rising. Thoughts were forming words that bubbled up in her throat and suddenly the defender couldn’t contain herself anymore. Not when her family and loved ones were under attack.

“I already did pay, Phil!” Ali shouted. “I paid you one hundred thousand fucking dollars! But you’re a heartless bastard and couldn’t just disappear like you were supposed to. You knew that I would do anything for my son and took advantage of it. Your mistake was viewing it as a weakness, though. What you didn’t know is that I will protect the people I love with my life. So you know what? If I go to jail, I go to jail. But I’ll rest easy knowing my baby is alive. As for Ashlyn, Cassie and Connor? Just know that I will never stop fighting for the people I love. So, why don’t you do us both a favor and shut the fuck up.”

With that, Ali leaned forward and turned the radio up full blast. As Drake began blasting through the speakers, the brunette pressed down on the accelerator and switched into the fast lane. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Phil’s mouth open and close a few times, but the man decided it wasn’t worth it and let out a grunt before sinking back into his seat.

Ali had to fight the smile threating to split her face as she watched Phil dejectedly stare out the window. It was obvious that the man had underestimated herself and Ashlyn. The divide and conquer method was one way to go, but it clearly hadn’t worked out in his favor. Their late night assumptions about the man had been correct. He was greedy, heartless and self-serving. The first two got him into the car with her, and the last kept him from leaping out of it. Phil only cared about one thing – Phil.

As much as driving in a car with a passenger that looked ready to strangle her was anxiety-inducing, Ali had been right in assuming that Phil wouldn’t do anything rash. He knew there was at least one thousand dollars at stake if he kept his mouth shut and stayed put for the ride. That was better than nothing.

Three hours had passed when the call came in. Three gut-wrenching, awkward, nerve-wracking hours. The brunette fumbled with the phone, quickly hitting the button to switch the call off her Bluetooth. The last thing she wanted was for Phil to hear what was going on.

“What’s going on? Is he okay? How’s my baby?” Ali stuttered in the phone, the hand not on the wheel clenching the wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

“Connor’s all done, Alex. He’s in the recovery room now and they’ll be bringing him out of it. Doctor’s said everything went really well though.” Kyle replied quickly. “Ty is in the prep room now.”

Ali breathed a sigh of relief into the receiver, “Thank God, Kyle. Is he…is he okay? Is he asking for me?”

“He is,” Kyle sighed, “But you did what you had to, Alex. Just get back here safe, okay?”

“Got it. Tell him I love him and will be there when he wakes up,” the brunette responded.

“Will do. Drive safe.”

With that, Ali ended the call. Before Phil could even say a word, she whipped the car to the right, swerving into the far lane. 

“Here’s how it’s going to work, Phil,” she stated assuredly as they approached the exit, “You’re going to leave the bag and step out of the car when I stop at this light up ahead.”

“Why the hell would I leave the bag?” Phil interjected, his arms only encircling the bag tighter as he glared back at Ali.

“Unless you want every cop in the state looking for you, and have your picture plastered on Wanted and Do Not Fly lists, I suggest you leave the money,” the brunette countered.

Phil shot her a perplexed look, his wrinkled face scrunched up in confusion. If it weren’t for the gravity of the situation, Ali would have laughed at the confounded expression.

“I’ve got friends in high places that you don’t want to mess with,” Ali responded to his wordless question, guiding the car into the exit ramp. “Now, when I pull to a stop up here, you’re going to leave that bag and get out of my car.”

“Then what?” Phil spat back, his voice quivering as he tried to weasel a way out of his fate.

“Then I never fucking see you again,” the brunette retorted confidently. “You never contact me, my family, Doctor Harris, Cassie or Connor again. Got it?”

“Why the hell should I listen to you?” the man prodded. “I can have you arrested and that bitch doctor fired.”

The car had pulled to a stop on the side of the road, but Phil refused to exit the vehicle. He knew doing so was sealing his fate.

“Listen,” Ali began, leaning forward to meet Phil’s wavering gaze, “You can consider the original hundred thousand a gift. A gift for disappearing. But if you ever contact my family or friends again, I will have you arrested on the spot. You got it?”

The two sat in silence for a moment as Phil contemplated what Ali was telling him. One hundred thousand dollars was more money than a man like him had ever seen, but there was currently thousands more sitting in his lap. Ali could tell that he was playing the options out in his head, deciding if he could really get away with it.

“So, what…you’re just going to leave me on the side of the road with no phone or way back?” the man whined, his eyes flicking down to the bag in his lap.

Knowing her son was about to go into surgery, Ali wasn’t in a patient mood. She surged forward and grabbed the handle of the black bag.

“Give me the bag and get the fuck out, Phil!” the brunette demanded.

Phil’s eyes went wide with terror. Sensing that Ali meant business, he dropped his grip on the bag and unbuckled his seat belt, all but tripping over himself to open the door and get out of the car. The door wasn’t even fully closed yet when Ali put the car in drive and peeled away from the shoulder. Phil sputtered as he was assault by a cloud of dirt and pebbles flying in his direction. 

Ali didn’t even bother to look. Without so much as a glance in the rearview mirror she whipped back onto the highway and took off North towards Orlando. With any luck, she would make it back before Tyler woke up from surgery.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one will be wrapping up in a few chapters. Hope it’s been worth the wait!

“How is he, Kyle?” Ali asked, barging into the waiting room.

Sitting in the small room was Kyle and a few other families waiting for their kids. A few shot questioning looks at the brunette, but they were all in the same situation and knew how nerve wracking it could be. Kyle stood and pulled Ali into his arms, giving her a tight hug. He knew what his sister had just gone through and figured she could use it.

“He’s okay,” Kyle responded. “He’s in the recovery room. He’s slowly coming out of it so they’ll be bringing you back any minute now. Connor is doing great. Cassie is with him in the room. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you stopping in.”

A pang of guilt flooded through Ali’s veins. Cassie. She knew how this would affect the woman. She knew sending Phil away was the right thing, but that it also wasn’t technically her decision. She could only hope that Cassie would understand when she sat down and explained everything. It was a conversation that needed to be had, but not when their boys were recovering from surgery. Perhaps tomorrow.

“You know, I think I’m just going to wait for, Ty,” Ali replied. “I feel awful I wasn’t here when he went in. I want to be able to see him as soon as they let me back.”

Kyle nodded, understanding exactly how she felt. Casting a glance around the room, he nodded to the corner of the room that was absent of any anxious parents. Ali followed him, knowing that he was looking for the details. Sure enough, when they were out of ear shot in the corner, Kyle turned around and shot her an expectant look.

“It worked,” the brunette acknowledged. “I told him I never wanted to see or hear from him again and the same went for Ash, Cassie and Connor. He left the money and fled the car just north of Miami.”

“Jesus,” Kyle hissed, eyes wide now that he was getting real details. “Did he…did he hurt you or anything?”

“No,” Ali shook her head, “He looked kind of scared to be honest. I don’t think he was expecting the tables to flip so suddenly.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to let him go just like that?” Kyle asked in a concerned tone, “What if he comes back around looking for you? He’s not a nice man, Alex.”

Ali was about to open her mouth and reply when a nurse slipped through the door and called out, “Krieger?”

Whipping around so fast that she almost fell over, Ali raised her hand in the air and clamored over to the woman with Kyle in tow.

“Doctor Harris is ready to speak to you and then I can bring you back to see your son. He’s coming too, but he’s still very groggy,” the older woman explained.

Without a word, Ali just nodded and followed her back into the recovery wing. The hallway was bustling with people, but her eyes were focused on one thing only. Standing just ahead of them was Ashlyn, dressed in scrubs with a white overcoat thrown over her shoulders. A stethoscope hung around her neck and a brilliant smile graced the blonde’s lips the moment her hazel eyes landed on the defender.

“Ms. Krieger, this way please,” the doctor stated, adding the layer of formality in for the nurse that was standing beside them. “Thanks, Betty,” she added before the nurse scurried away.

The second they were inside the conference room with the door closed, Ali launched herself into Ashlyn’s arms. It seemed that the blonde was expecting it, her arms already splayed open the second the door latched closed.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” the doctor breathed into the defender’s messy bun. “I was so worried something would happen.”

“I’ll ignore the part that you were focusing on something else while operating on my son as long as you tell me some good news,” Ali stated in jest, pulling back from Ashlyn’s embrace to press a light kiss on the doctor’s lips.

Kyle coughed indiscreetly behind them, reminding the women that they weren’t quite alone. With an eye roll, Ali took a step back from Ashlyn and rounded the table. The trio took a seat around the small wooden table as Ashlyn began explaining how the procedure went. There were a lot of medical terms thrown around that Ali didn’t quite get, but Ashlyn tried her best to explain in a way that they understood.

“So now, we look for engraftment. This shows that the cells he received are developing. He’ll need to be closely monitored during this time,” the doctor explained.

“But how long until we know if it worked?” Ali probed, her fingers laced with Ashlyn’s.

“Usually the first signs are a rising white blood count. In a successful transplant we’ll see this something during the next two and four weeks.”

Ali let out a sigh, “So still another two weeks to a month before we know if it worked?”

The doctor nodded, “Yes, it will still be a while before we know for sure. And even if it is a success we’ll need to monitor him for the next three to six months with regular visits.”

“Guess you’re stuck with her, Alex,” Kyle chided lightly from beside his sister.

Ali let out a groan as a small smile graced the blonde’s lips, “All I can tell you is that the procedure went as well as it could have. We didn’t run into any complications or anything like that. We just have to wait and see if the transplant took and monitor him for any side effects. I promise that I’ll do everything I can for him.”

“Okay,” Ali replied, letting out a deep breath when she felt Ashlyn give her hand a slight reassuring squeeze. “Thank you, Ash.”

“Of course,” Doctor Harris replied. “Now I of course want all the details about that scum bag Phil, but I know you’re anxious to see Ty. Do you want to come back with me and check on him?”

“Yes, please,” Ali stated excitedly as she rose from her chair. “Take me to my little boy.”


	38. Chapter 38

There were very few times in her life when Ali felt more nervous. The defender’s palms were coated in a thin sheen of sweat, heart hammering in her chest as she walked hand in hand with her son down the hallway. It had been a stressful three weeks to say the least and the nerves hadn’t settled since she first laid eyes on Tyler after the transplant.

First came the agonizing feat of explaining to Cassie why Phil had simply vanished into thin air. Ali could vividly remember the woman’s brows knitting together in a mix of confusion and disgust. Then came the torrent of apologies, prolific apologies. Cassie had been horrified to learn what Phil did and what he was planning to do.

After the initial shock and guilt wore off, then came the waves of worry. How was she going to provide for Connor and herself? Where would they live? What would happen to their belonging in Phil’s house back up north?

That’s where Ali came into the picture with an offer for Connor and Cassie to move to Florida and stay with her and Tyler until the older woman was able to get her feet underneath her. The boys would enjoy the time together and Ali insisted that she wouldn’t mind having extra company around. In fact, she was even able to manage to convince Cassie to let her friend gather up their belongings from Phil’s place and ship them down. It had taken some serious persuasive tactics, but in the end, Cassie agreed with a thankful smile.

Unfortunately, even with that out of the way, Ali still couldn’t bring herself to settle. She always felt on edge, her muscles twitching with anxiety long into the night hours. Chills wracked her body with every passing day. Two weeks suddenly felt like a lifetime. If it weren’t for Ashlyn’s support, Ali would have lost it.

The doctor was a rooting presence. She was able to console the defender in a way that was comfortable and didn’t cross any boundaries. The two were in an awkward state of limbo, unsure of what their relationship could be defined as and that only added to the nerves riddling the defender’s body. Ashlyn had risked her job for Tyler’s health and while Ali was beyond grateful, she didn’t want to chance it. Aside from brushing hands in passing and letting herself sink into the doctor’s arms behind the privacy of her closed office door during a venting session, Ali withheld herself. It was obvious that they both wanted more, but neither wanted to push it. The defender had already cost Cassie her relationship – as shady as it was to begin with – and the last thing she wanted was for Ashlyn to get lose her job or have a formal complaint filed against her by someone in the hospital.

Unfortunately, the stress of everything was quickly adding up. Frustration with maintaining a boundary with Doctor Harris. Making plans for Cassie and Connor to move in. Dealing with coaches wondering when she’d be back to playing. And to top it all off, there was Tyler. Her sweet – albeit at times sassy – little boy who was fighting for his life. She could see slight changes in him; his appetite coming back, his energy levels up and the way he would smile more often. They were positive changes, but Ali couldn’t let herself get her hopes up. She stayed optimistic, but realistic. Little changes weren’t going to tell her what she wanted, blood tests would. The same blood tests that she and Tyler were heading to Ashlyn’s office to receive the results on for the second time.

The first meeting, two weeks out from surgery had been unproductive. The results just weren’t there. Ashlyn tried to convey that it didn’t mean the transplant wouldn’t work, stressing that the blood results just meant that it hadn’t worked yet. Ali took the explanation with a hopeful smile, but couldn’t help but feel defeated. If this didn’t work, the brunette didn’t know what she would do. Tyler was her life and without him she couldn’t imagine carrying on with life as she knew it.

Ali could barely contain herself as they walked down the crowded hospital hallway. Her heart was thundering, pounding in her chest with such force that she surely thought it would burst through her rib cage and out of her exhausted body. She debated back and forth about whether or not to go alone to the meeting, but wanted to keep her promise. No more secrets.

Hand in hand, the Krieger’s waltzed through the open door of Doctor Harris’s office.

“Morning, Ash!” Tyler chirped, high fiving the blonde as he walked past her towards the comfy chairs sitting before her desk.

“Morning, little man,” the doctor retorted, offering Ali a welcoming smile as she guided the defender to the chair with a hand on the small of her back. “And good morning to you too, Ali.”

Tyler rolled his eyes as the women shared a knowing gaze, clearing his throat when the gaze lingered a bit too long.

Ali and Ashlyn quickly whipped their heads away, each scurrying to their respective seats and sinking down. Not wanting to waste any more time, Ali cut right to the chase.

“Do you have the results?” the defender questioned, her eyes housing a hopeful sentiment.

Ashlyn nodded and grabbed a file from the top of a scattered stack on her desk, “Right here. Shall we get started?”

“Yup,” Tyler mumbled shyly, feeling the weight of the conversation weighing on him as well.

“So, as you know we’re about three weeks out from the transplant now. There wasn’t much change at our meeting last week, but as I said that didn’t necessarily mean that the procedure hadn’t worked,” Ashlyn explained, her tone serious and unwavering. The body works in funny ways and some patients just take longer show signs of remission.”

“Just tell me if it worked, Ash,” Tyler grumbled, the impatience of his mother shining through.

Ashlyn sighed and set the folder down on her desk. Her eyes ticked down to her fingers before raising to meet Tyler’s gaze.

“You’re in full remission, little man,” Ashlyn stated with a beaming smile.

“What?” Ali gasped, her mouth agape and eyes wide with astonishment.

“She said I’m in remission, mom!” Tyler reiterated, as if his mother really didn’t hear the first time.

“Oh my god,” Ali sighed as the weight of the world slowly began slipping off her shoulders. “What…what does this mean?”

“Well, we’ll have to keep him for another few days for observation, but after that, he’ll be good to go home,” Ashlyn stated, her eyes dancing with excitement as she revealed the information to the relieved mother. “He’ll have to come in for bi-weekly checkups that will eventually fade to monthly check ups, but the results are clear. He’s in full remission.”

With a relieved exhale, Ali felt more weight slide from her shoulders. It was as if she could finally breathe again. Without another word, she slipped from her chair and pulled Tyler into her arms. Tears began rolling down her cheeks, meeting their match in the sniffles leaving her son. The doctor sat back, observing the family’s embrace with a smile. It was a relieved smile, but there was still some reserve in it. She wanted nothing more than to rush around her desk and warp the two Krieger’s up in her arms, but it wasn’t her place. At least not yet.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those still following along, sorry for the delay!! Been hard at work on a project. Thanks for understanding :)

“Got everything, bud?” the doctor asked as she scanned the mostly empty room.

“Yeah, I think my mom packed most of it up last night, Doctor Engen,” Tyler hummed from his spot on the bed.

“Well as much as I’m glad to see you’re off to bigger and better things, I’m going to miss you around here you little trouble maker,” Whitney joked, lightly jostling the boy.

“I’ll miss you too,” Tyler responded, his eyes glassing over slightly as he looked up at the younger doctor who often visited with him during his months in the hospital. “But maybe you can come to some of my soccer games? I was going to invite Ash too,” the boy added excitedly.

“I would love to,” Doctor Engen replied with a warm smile, opening up her arms to pull Tyler into a warm embrace.

“Hey now!” called a voice from the doorway.

Both Tyler and Whitney whipped their heads around to see Ashlyn sauntering in, her hand over her heart in mock betrayal, an astonished look on her face.

“I thought I was your favorite doctor!” the blonde chided with a mischievous grin. “How could you, little man?”

Tyler dissolved into a fit of giggles and slipped off the bed. Ashlyn didn’t even have time to react before the little boy was hurtling into her shins.

“I’m going to miss you,” Tyler mumbled into the knees of the doctor.

With a hand on each shoulder, Ashlyn gentled pushed the boy back and dropped to her knees in front of him. She met his glazed eyes with a sad smile.

“I’m going to miss you too, handsome,” the doctor stated with absolute sincerity. “But I’ll still see you for all of your checkups and everything.”

“I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of him than that,” Whitney hummed as she slipped past the two.

“What was that?” Ashlyn probed, knowing full well what the other doctor had said.

Whitney froze on the threshold of the door, halfway in and halfway out. She hesitated for a minute before schooling her knowing expression. Cocking her head to the side to meet Ashlyn’s inquisitive gaze, the young doctor just shrugged.

“See you around, Ty!” Doctor Engen stated excitedly before slipping out the door without another word.

Ashlyn let out a sigh, but turned her attention back to Tyler. She hated the awkward limbo that she was in with Ali. The two obviously had mutual feelings and extreme attraction for one another, but the doctor wanted to respect Ali’s wishes. The young mother was going through enough already. She didn’t need the added stress of dancing around each other with questions of “what if” and trying to define their relationship.

“Look who it is, my two favorite people,” came a voice from the doorway.

Ashlyn turned, a smile already spilling across her face at the familiarity of the mumble coming from the door. Her eyes landed on the defender, dressed in black spandex and a flannel button up that was open to reveal a crisp white t-shirt underneath. While the outfit flattered the brunette’s curves perfectly, that wasn’t what Ashlyn’s eyes settled on. It was the radiant smile that split Ali’s face in two. Ever since revealing the news that Tyler was in remission, it was as if Ali had become a new person. Her upbeat attitude was simply radiating and her eyes were full of life, no longer tired and glazed over all the time. The sight was something that Ashlyn could definitely get used to. Something that she wanted to get used to.

Tyler’s shrill voice broke the two women from their trance and Ashlyn had to physically shake her head to get the image of Ali out of her mind and regain focus. The boy gave his mother a hug before grabbing the box she was carrying. It was heavy and Tyler struggled under the weight, but he seemed resigned to keep ahold of it, waving Ashlyn off when she tried to help.

“What do you have there?” the doctor asked as she eyed the plain cardboard box he was holding in the doorway.

“Um…” the boy started, his mumble matching the one his mother often used, “It’s just something.”

Ashlyn’s eyes narrowed in confusion and she shot a look at the boy’s mother for an explanation.

“Tell Doctor Harris what it is, hunny,” the brunette prodded. 

“I just…I wanted to leave some of my old video games for the other kids to play with,” Tyler shrugged, his voice housing a sense of embarrassment as he opened the box to reveal two or three dozen video games.

Ashlyn only smiled bigger, her heart swelling at the compassion the boy had, “That’s great, Tyler! I’m sure they’ll love them. Want to go take them over to the play room?”

The boy nodded eagerly and scuttled out the door, leaving the two women alone.  
“A lot of those video games looked like they were still in original packaging,” Ashlyn stated, leveling a gaze at the brunette.

Ali shrugged, “I may have stopped at the store on my way here and picked some up.”

“You’re amazing, you know that, right?” the doctor stated, her voice wavering slightly.

“Says the doctor who cures children’s cancer,” Ali retorted. “Yes, I’m the true saint here.”

After the light laughter faded, the room fell silent. There was so much that Ashlyn wanted to say, but she was struggling. The words were caught in her throat like cotton. Her mind was screaming for her to say something, but a few awkward seconds later, Ali broke the silence.

“I better go check on him and make sure he doesn’t start playing all those games,” Ali chuckled. “If he does that we’ll never get out of here today.”

Ashlyn nodded, but the words wouldn’t come out. She wanted to tell Ali that she wished they would stay, That she didn’t want to be apart from them. That she wanted to see their smiling faces first thing in the morning even though Tyler wasn’t staying at the hospital. That nothing would be the same once they left. That she wanted to be a part of their lives. But she couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come. And so, wordlessly, she followed the brunette out the door and watched as Ali retreated down the hallways.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay here it is... the last chapter. I'm sorry this one took me so long to complete, but life got in the way. Thank you to everyone who stuck with me over the last year or so. I hope you enjoyed!

“Mom hurry up! We’re gonna be late!” Tyler shouted from down the hallway.

Ali shuffled down the hallway and let out a groan when she peered in the oval mirror hanging there. The brunette hadn’t gotten as long of a nap as she hoped for and it showed. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot with bags underneath them and despite having just showered the day before, her hair was a greasy mess. The defender cursed herself for not washing her hair when she showered right after training, but she didn’t have time to process anything else before Tyler’s shouts ripped her back into reality.

“Come on!”

“Alright, alright,” Ali replied.

The brunette couldn’t help but smile as she watched her son barrel out the front door of their house. This was a day he had been waiting for anxiously when he was released from the hospital and Ali couldn’t deny him of it anymore. Tyler had waited for a week, pestering her every day. At first, the brunette wasn’t sure it was a good idea. It felt too soon. Still, the little boy wouldn’t relent and finally Ali caved. Shaking her head as she watched the boy yank at the locked car door handle, the defender grabbed her purse from the hook beside the door and slung it over her shoulder. Tugging the door shut behind her, the brunette rounded the corner of the sidewalk and unlocked the car door, grinning as Tyler frantically scrambled into the back seat.

They weren’t even out of the driveway before Tyler began peppering her with questions. Was she nervous? Was she excited? Did she think he should be nervous? Should he have worn something else? The boy was brimming with excitement and Ali didn’t think he would be able to contain it as she pulled up to the intersection that lead off their busy street.

The brunette waited at the stop sign, mindlessly answering his incessant questions while waiting for a few cars to pass by. When the street cleared and it was safe, Ali turned left and continued on their way. If she were being honest with herself, the defender would admit that she was nervous too. She would never admit it out loud to Tyler, because he would shrug it off and laugh, but something was bubbling up in the pit of her stomach. In fact, that feeling had been unrelenting for over a week, only growing stronger with each day and the soccer player knew the reason behind it.

“Mommmmm, are you even listening to me?”

“Hmm?” the young mother hummed.

“I asked where we’re going for dinner,” Tyler replied, his eyes growing wide as they pulled into their destination.

Before Ali could even formulate a response, Tyler threw open the door and slipped from the parked car. The brunette called out for him, but the little boy was too preoccupied as he ran across the grass. With a sigh, Ali opened her own door and slipped from the car. She made it a few steps before a voice sounded from behind her.

“Someone’s happy,” said the familiar voice.

Ali turned, her smile growing tenfold when cinnamon irises landed on the familiar face. 

“You have no idea, Kelley,” the brunette chuckled. “He’s begged me to come to practice every day since he’s been home.”

“Are you going to let him play?” the other mother asked as her own son took off running towards the group of children gathering around the coach.

“Absolutely not!” Ali retorted. “He’s just allowed to watch for now.”

“Does he know that?” Kelley chuckled, casting a nod over Ali’s shoulder.

The brunette cocked her head to the side, eyes widening in fear when she saw Tyler winding up to kick a ball at the little blonde posted up in goal. She was about to shout when a hand grazed her arm and halted her progression.

“He’s not going to fall apart just from kicking a ball or two,” the lawyer drawled.

“I’m just worried,” Ali admitted, letting a sigh roll past her lips before turning her attention back to the other mother. “You know how much he’s been through.”

“What does Doctor Hottie say?” Kelley quipped with a raised eyebrow to match a crooked grin.

“You mean the doctor who I haven’t heard from for over a week?” the defender huffed.

At this, Kelley’s face wrinkled in confusion. It didn’t make sense. Not after everything the two women had gone through. Perhaps that what had Ali miffed as well. There had to be more to it.

“Maybe she’s just giving you guys some time to settle in. Have you reached out to her?”

“No…” Ali hummed. “I just figured she’d check in. It’s been over a week. At this point I’m thinking she’s just going to wait until I come back in for Tyler’s checkup in another two weeks.”

The sarcasm in the statement was evident and Kelley grabbed the crook of Ali’s elbow, leading her gently towards the bleachers where some of the other parents were sitting. The coach had officially started practice and Ali was relieved to see that he heeded her directions and had Tyler next to him while the other kids started running a drill. Much to her delight, there was also a whistle hanging around her son’s neck and she made a mental note to thank the coach for keeping him involved. The pair settled in on the second row of the bleachers, getting as comfortable as they could on the stiff metal planks.

“I don’t know,” Kelley trailed off, “I just think you’re reading too much into it.”

Ali huffed dismissively and let the conversation dissipate. The brunette turned her attention to the practice field, watching as the mess of kids clamored about the brown-tipped grass field. The minutes ticked by and Ali relished being in the sun, watching the kids play while chattering back and forth with Kelley. It had been a while since she and the freckled lawyer had caught up and apparently a lot had changed.

Kelley was just updating Ali on her latest case when the coach blew his whistle for the final time, ending their scrimmage right on time. The brunette glanced down at her watch, letting out a sigh before flicking her eyes around the park.

“I still think you should reach out to her,” Kelley stated matter of fact.

“She’s the one that could lose her job from everything that happened,” Ali replied curtly. “Maybe she’s second guessing all of it.”

“Ali, she loves you,” the freckled woman stated plainly. “Go easy on her…” 

Just then there was a clamoring sound behind them, followed by a thud and grunt. Ali’s head whipped around just in time to see a flash of blonde hair. Her smile doubled in size when eyes landed on the sun kissed face that made her heart rate skyrocket.

“Ash?” the brunette exclaimed in shock.

The doctor grinned sheepishly, issuing a slew of apologies as she wove around the trophy wives gathered on the upper levels of the bleachers. The blonde was wearing a black t-shirt that clung tightly to her toned body and the tattoos peeking out from underneath drew a few wayward looks of disdain from the other mothers. Ali didn’t care one bit though as she stumbled up the bleachers to meet the doctor.

Throwing her arms around the blonde, the defender pulled her in for a tight hug, relishing the familiar scent of vanilla slipping into her senses. Without thought, Ashlyn hugged her back, this time tighter than ever before.

“What are you doing here?” Ali exclaimed, finally drawing back from the embrace to meet the doctor’s hesitant gaze. “And why did you climb up the back?”

Ashlyn’s eyes dipped down the bench to where Kelley was sitting with a knowing smirk splashed across her lips. With Kyle out of town again, the lawyer had been the first person the doctor thought to text about her predicament with Ali and the fact that they hadn’t established any rules or guidelines before the Krieger’s slipped out of her hospital for good. Kelley, never one to follow the rules, simply told Ashlyn to make her own rules, and also happened to mention that Ali and Tyler would be at the soccer fields for practice that Saturday at 3pm. Ashlyn got the hint. She was a doctor after all, and smart enough to put two and two together.

“I couldn’t stay away,” Ashlyn sighed. “I was trying for that whole cute, sneak up behind you kind of thing, but I’m not as agile as I used to be.”

With a chuckle, the blonde tugged Ali down a few steps so they were level with Kelley again. The freckled mother had slipped off the bleachers, stepping onto the grass to wait for her son. Ali could hear the disapproving mumbles from the judgmental women above as they maneuvered through, but nothing mattered. All that mattered was that Ashlyn was there, standing beside her with their fingers interlaced.

It was like nothing had changed. No excuse or conversation was needed. They were just there, together. That was all the explanation Ali needed as she leaned into the blonde’s side, loving the warm feeling that washed over her. It was more warmth than the blistering Florida sun had ever provided and it was a feeling Ali never wanted to go a day without ever again.

The women chatted back and forth waiting for the kids to quit goofing around and gather their belongings. Ali knew there was a bigger conversation she and Ashlyn needed to have, but she was just happy to be in her presence again. Besides, it was not a conversation she wanted to have with the nosy lawyer hovering about. Thankfully, Ashlyn seemed to understand that as well and kept topics vague.

Ali was about to respond to a playful barb from Kelley as they watched Tyler kick a rogue ball back towards his teammate, when her heart froze in her chest. Watching the boy kick the ball, her ears picked up on the whispering behind them. The brunette’s normally steadily beating heart began hammering harder when the words from behind became intelligible.

“What mother lets their kid practice after having cancer? That can’t be very safe,” sassed one of the stuck up mother’s from behind her. “Although look who she’s with…obviously her child’s safety isn’t a major concern.” 

Ali pulled a deep breath into her lungs, about to turn around and give the woman a piece of her mind, but someone beat her to the punch.

“Why don’t you shut your mouth about things you know nothing about,” Ashlyn stated emphatically, her tone firm with a hint of biting sweetness.

“Excuse me?” the woman with bright blue stilettos and tight white pants gasped. “And what do you know about this?”

The other golden haired, heavily done-up mothers laughed amongst themselves, looking down on the tattooed doctor. Ashlyn was wearing a tight black shirt that showed off her muscles and tattoos, ripped skinny jeans, and a pair of black chucks. Her outfit, combined with her long, unkempt wavy locks tucked under a US Soccer snapback, screamed beach bum and the doctor knew it. To be honest, the judgement was something she was used to.

“It’s perfectly fine for Tyler to be out here. After being cooped up in the hospital, fresh air is good for him. So is some light exercise,” Ashlyn explained evenly.

“And how would you know that?” one of the other mothers scoffed. “What are you, his doctor?”

The women broke out into a cruel laugh, their lips sniveling up at the sight of the tattooed blonde. At this point, the blonde felt Ali’s fingers gripping her bicep tightly, digging into the skin with such force that the doctor was afraid her skin would be pierced.

“Actually, I am,” the blonde responded evenly.

“You are what?”

“His doctor,” Ashlyn stated, smiling sweetly as she stepped forward and extended her hand. “Doctor Ashlyn Harris, head pediatric oncologist at Arnold Palmer Memorial.”

With a snarl the lead mean mom shook her head, her cheeks reddening slightly in embarrassment. With a scoff, she called for the other’s to follow her, brushing past Ashlyn and Ali without another word. The doctor and defender watched the woman struggle with their heels in the grass, Ashlyn unable to keep a slight smirk from splitting her lips. Ali slapped her gently. The young mom knew how much enjoyment the doctor had just gotten from showing up the judgmental women. In truth, she got some amusement of her own. Seeing Ashlyn stick up for her and Tyler like that only reinforced the feelings she had all along.

Before Ali could even respond, a body was hurtling towards them. The small boy rushed past her, screeching loudly as he flung himself through the air and into the doctor’s arms.

“Ash!” Tyler shrieked in the blonde’s ear, earning a slight grimace from the doctor who still refused to put him down.

“Hey, buddy,” the blonde replied just as eagerly, squeezing the boy tightly despite the ringing in her ears.

“I missed you!” Tyler shouted excitedly.

Ashlyn placed him back on the ground and ruffled the boy’s unruly locks, “I missed you too little man. So much…”

The sad sigh that escaped Ashlyn’s lips pulled at Ali’s heart strings. She knew the blonde had struggled with the time away just as much as she had. Whether it was due to nerves, caution or something else entirely, it didn’t matter to the defender anymore. Having Ashlyn in her life—their life—was all that really mattered.

“Mom, can Ash come to dinner with us?” Tyler blurted, unaware of the slight tension between the women.

Ashlyn shrugged sheepishly and shot Ali an apologetic look. The last thing she wanted to do was pressure the brunette into a dinner out. They hadn’t talked yet, but before she could open her mouth to tell Tyler maybe another time, Ali was already nodding.

“Sure, buddy. As long as she’s not busy already?”

Ashlyn shook her head, admitting that she had nothing on schedule for the rest of the day and Tyler’s face lit up in excitement.

“Can we get ice cream first!?” he shrieked, grabbing Ashlyn’s hand and tugging her towards the car.

“No ice cream before dinner!” Ali shouted after the dubious pair, shaking her head as Kelley came up behind her chuckling.

The lawyer gently nudged her shoulder, “Well that was easy.”

A sigh escaped Ali’s chest as the pair walked towards the car, Kelley now holding her son’s hand tightly.

“I guess it was,” the defender admitted.

They continued chatting while walking towards the car, laughing as Ali and Tyler chased each other around the car, laughing like maniacs. It warmed Ali to the core to see the genuine smile on her son’s face again. It had been a long time, and watching him interact with the doctor, the brunette realized his smile was bigger now than it was when she relented and allowed him to return to soccer that morning.

“Be careful in the parking lot!” Ali called out as cars began pulling out of the parking sports. “Get in the car, Tyler.”

Tyler and the doctor groaned as their play session was cut short, but when Ashlyn saw the cars making their way towards the main road, she grabbed the little boy’s hand and pulled him back towards the car. Tugging open the back door, she let the little soccer player slip into his seat and watched as he buckled himself.

“Ash…” Tyler hummed as the blonde handed his soccer bag through the half-open window.

“Yes,” Ashlyn replied, peering through the open window as Ali finished het chat with Kelley.

“You owe me…”

“What?” Ashlyn retorted, eyes narrowing in confusion. “For what?”

“Dinner,” Tyler whispered as Ali slipped into the driver’s seat and shot the pair a conspiratorial look.

Ashlyn’s lips curled up into a smile as the meaning hit her. Tyler, always the wing man. Pounding her fist against the little boy’s, Ashlyn rapped her fingers on the glass to get Ali’s attention. As the doctor slipped into the front set, Ali shot her an expectant look.

“I’m…I’m uh thinking ice cream before dinner. What do you think?”

Ali let out a groan. They weren’t even officially together and the pair was already ganging up on her. Casting a glance in the rearview mirror, the pleading look on Tyler’s face was evident. She hadn’t seen him that happy in days and the last thing she wanted was to disappoint him again. Ice cream before dinner wasn’t the worst idea, the brunette decided. Ali nodded in confirmation, letting out a laugh as both Tyler and Ashlyn cheered triumphantly.

“Meet you at Mr. Frosty!” the doctor smirked, giving the windows one last tap before she turned away.

As Ali watched the blonde make her way back to her car, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was what the rest of her life would be like—Ashlyn and Tyler ganging up on her, ice cream before dinner, staying up past bedtime to watch ‘one more’ surf video, puppies that she was unaware of until they were placed on her lap by a beaming boy and sheepish doctor. Hours later, as Ashlyn crept up the stairs with a sleeping Tyler in her arms, gingerly carrying the boy with a chocolate smeared face to his room two hours past his bedtime, she realized she didn’t care. All that mattered was that her family was finally complete. The brunette would take a life of scraped knees from skateboarding lessons, missed school mornings because ‘the surf was killer’, and candy smeared faces if it meant waking up in the blonde’s arms every morning, and falling asleep clutched tightly in her grasp every night. It was the life she wanted and the life Tyler deserved and for once, Ali was going to fight for what she wanted.

Grinning, the brunette slipped from the couch and headed upstairs, rounding the corner just as Ashlyn was closing the door to Tyler’s room. Without a word, only a sultry look, Ali grabbed the doctor’s hand and tugged her down the hallway towards the bedroom, ready to claim the life she wanted. The way hazel eyes widened hungrily as Ali pushed the blonde down on the bed and began unbuttoning her shirt tantalizingly slow made it clear. This was the life Ashlyn wanted too.


End file.
